Mystery artist steps forward as future of iconic bird atop L.A. eyesore in doubt

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Set us as preferred Pillarhenge is an eyesore.Since construction at the Eagle Rock site — so nicknamed after a decrepit colonnade — first stalled in 2008, the only thing that accumulated faster than the garbage and graffiti were the epithets from outraged community members.While many saw blight at the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Holbrook Street, a local artist saw opportunity.

One of the site’s 36 pillars — the tallest one in the middle — could be a perch for a big, pink, screeching bird.“It was a vision, and I just knew we would do it,” says the artist who goes by Flod and is finally ready to share his story.

Flod insists on anonymity because, “isn’t it more fun to leave it a mystery?”Flod scraped together tomato cages, chicken wire, paper, glue and pink house paint.“I’m kinda into recycling, so I didn’t even buy materials for it.

It was supposed to just give a laugh, maybe last a day,” he says.That was more than a decade ago.One day in 2014, Flod’s young adult nephew, adept at climbing, helped him hoist the 4-foot, about 10-pound papier-mache sculpture atop the 70-foot pillar.

It fit perfectly.In the years since, the bird, affectionately dubbed Pinky, has inspired a movement.

There are custom T-shirts, multifarious fan art, an online forum and a dedicated posse keeping constant watch.Pinky’s fame grew even as the bird bent, molted and faded with each turn of the calendar.As much as locals loathe Pillarhenge, they idolize Pinky.

And now that construction at the site of “The One on Colorado,” a six-level, mixed-use development with 31 units, has restarted, the bird’s future is uncertain.“There’s a lot of love for this crazy bird,” says Jonathan Ford, who has a direct view of Pillarhenge from his backyard.“It’s iconic.”While discarded elements are through lines in Fl...