It's funny how our opinions about some things change with time. For example, I was not fond of asparagus until about 10 years ago. Now, grilled asparagus is a favorite side dish.

As we get older, our tastes change, or sometimes it's our perspective. Other times, we warm up or adapt to things that have been around for a while. We get used to them. They become a part of us.

I can apply all those possibilities to my feelings about the Sea Flower sculpture that has occupied space before the Hasting's Keith Federal Building in Downtown New Bedford for decades.

WBSM-AM/AM 1420 logo
Get our free mobile app

The federal government paid Texas artist James Surls $9,000 in 1978 to create a sculpture on the plaza in front of the federal building.

Given that New Bedford has long been nicknamed "The Whaling Capitol of the World," Atlas Obscura says, "It seemed obvious that the artwork should represent the animal most associated with the town's history."

However, the site says, "Surls decided to create a different creature to honor New Bedford's seafaring past: a sea urchin," or sea anemone, a primate creature of the ocean.

The Sea Flower has been controversial ever since.

Atlas Obscura says, "The elderly and the blind kept whacking their heads on the sculpture, necessitating the addition of a beam. A newspaper survey revealed 86 percent of respondents hated it."

SouthCoast Artists Index says the Sea Flower has "weathered the continued buffets of Man and Nature" since 1978.

A 1998 opinion piece by Standard-Times columnist Dick White said the sculpture "has inspired a good deal of citizen hostility and antagonism."

The Sea Flower came close to being replaced in the late 1980s with a Korean War monument, later erected at Pulaski Common Park.

For the longest time, I thought the statute depicted seaweed and not a sea creature. For me, it resembled a bunch of cigars. I was never a fan of Surl's sculpture.

My feelings have softened over the years and I've grown accustomed to the thing. After nearly 50 years, I'm all for keeping it.

A Guide to New Bedford's Memorial Tanks and Cannons

New Bedford has a large assortment of military hardware scattered throughout the city to honor various veterans organizations. See them all listed here.

Gallery Credit: Barry Richard

Check Out Some of New Bedford's Best Street Art

There have been many artists that have graced New Bedford with their creativity. Let's check out some of their work!

Gallery Credit: Aliana Liz Tavares

More From WBSM-AM/AM 1420