Principal artisan of the Andrusko Group, Pete Andrusko, has been working with Northwest Artist Scott Murase to develop an unique, iconic sculptural element constructed of locally sourced stone and wood for the reconstruction of the historic Seward Park Torii Gate in Seattle, WA.

On April 9th, 2016 a 1 in = 1 ft scale maquette was presented to the Friends of Seward Park to show in true, realistic, physical form how the natural basalt columns used in the proposed sculptural element are to be constructed and integrated with the cedar upper cap and nuki elements. A unique feature of the stone column design incorporated into the Torii is that the natural columns are to be milled to the correct diameter and tapered form, but will incorporate portions of the natural basalt crust & polygonal form as an integral part of the finished aesthetic.

The stones used in the construction of the maquette are actual, micro-columnar basalt elements sourced from a quarry in the Pacific NW that are approx. 3-4 inches in diameter. These stone forms were milled and fabricated in the studio by the artisan using a custom-designed complex lathe device; a machine that will need to be recreated in full-scale version to mill the massive single-piece columnar basalt elements proposed for the actual Torii which are expected to be approx. 28-32 inches in diameter & approx. 21 ft in height. All materials used in the construction are to be sourced from a Northwest quarry, the Torii upper and nuki elements are to be fashioned from cedar beams sourced in the NW.

The proposed sculptural design has been accepted by the Friends of Seward Park and is in the final stages of the capitol funding campaign. Construction of this unique, sculptural element is expected to begin in Fall of 2016.