Fremont Troll

In the late 20th century, Fremont residents voted on options for a new community art piece, resulting in an 18-foot-tall ferrocement troll emerging from beneath the Aurora Bridge. Installed on Halloween in 1990, the troll is seen crushing a real Volkswagen Beetle (initially with a California license plate) in one hand.

According to reporter Robert Nelson in a Seattle Times article from that September, the troll symbolizes the challenges the area has faced, such as traffic and development, as legend suggests trolls live under bridges to escape these issues.

However, paranormal investigator Ross Allison, author of “Spooked in Seattle,” offers a different origin story. He wrote that rumors suggest old-time residents reported sightings of a real troll in the neighborhood before the sculpture was installed.

Today, at the intersection of North 36th Street and Troll Avenue North, visitors can walk up stairs behind the troll’s head or explore the nearby community garden and neighborhood. Despite the traffic overhead, the green spaces, benches, and colorful houses make the area feel like a fitting home for a troll.

A colorful street sign along 36th Street points toward Troll’s Knoll Park or the Center of the Universe (Fremont’s nickname) for restaurants and shops.

For a particularly spooky experience, the Fremont Arts Council hosts a birthday celebration called Trolloween on October 31. The 2023 event will begin at 7 p.m. at the troll with live music and a costume pageant, followed by the annual Haunt of Fremont march through the neighborhood.