Lifeguard Tower Painted by Cronk to Be Demolished

A painted lifeguard station at Marina del Rey's Mother's Beach that was designed by famed Venice artist Rip Cronk has been slated for demolition due to safety concerns, officials said.

A Department of Beaches and Harbors press release said the 1997 public art piece Alphabet Block Construction will be demolished on or after Nov. 29. The lifeguard tower resembles children's alphabet building blocks and features brightly spelled out phrases such as "Way Cool," "Play" and "Be Free."

The project was a collaboration between Cronk and Beach Art Inc., and was supposed to be the first of 30 painted lifeguard towers but was the only one completed.

Cronk, who has been working on as an update to his 20-year-old piece Venice Reconstituted, said recently that he had been forewarned that the painted lifeguard tower would be coming down.

"I just think it was starting to get old and it wasn't being kept up," Cronk said. "I haven't gone to research it, because, like I say, it's out of my hand. Art has a life. When its time is over, God bless it and off it goes."

Cronk said he liked the artwork in part because it involved a lot of people, including teachers and students from Venice High School.

"We all got together and painted it together. It was a lot of fun and a good experience for everyone," he said.

Cronk's mural art can be seen all over Venice, including the two-story tall shirtless Jim Morrison mural and the four-story mural of Abbot Kinney.