Newhalem, WA

Located in the company town of Newhalem, Washington, the evocatively named Temple of Power is a public gazebo monument dedicated to the town’s history of providing power.

The oddly futuristic pavilion is the work of artist Don Corson under the employ, like the rest of the town, of the Seattle City Light power company. The company owns the entire town of Newhalem in fact, using it to house the workers from the Skagit River Hydroelectric Plant. The piece of public art was created to honor the town’s long history of providing electricity to Seattle.

Built using large industrial parts from the old Diablo switching station, the structure was designed to resemble a Victorian garden fascination. According to the artist, the roof is curved into a dome (although not actually a complete covering) to evoke the ceiling of the Roman Pantheon, earning it its grandiose name.

While comparing the Temple of Power to the Roman Pantheon may be a bit hyperbolic, it does stand out as quite a strange sight in the midst of Newhalem’s lush forest surroundings.