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The City of Fruita invites the community to celebrate the unveiling of the new COOP Tower artwork on Friday, September 25 at 4:00 p.m. at the Mulberry Plaza.
For decades, two banners have hung from the COOP Tower creating a familiar landmark and a visual welcome for people arriving to the community. After several years of wear and tear, the City began the process to update the banners to help give the tower a new look while creating something that feels distinctly Fruita.
Local artist Andrea Downs was selected earlier this year to create the new artwork following an extensive formal artist selection process. Her design reflects different parts of Fruita’s identity across the tower’s two banners.
One side features “The Cyclist,” highlighting Fruita’s connection to outdoor recreation and the landscapes surrounding the community. The artwork includes references to the Colorado National Monument, McInnis Canyons, and the Colorado River.
The other side features “Greta the Dinosaur” (the dinosaur located at Circle Park in downtown Fruita) surrounded by colorful flowers created by community members. Earlier this summer, residents were invited to create flowers for the project during community events. Those contributions were later digitized and incorporated into the final artwork, allowing residents to become part of the tower’s new design.
A new telescope at the Mulberry Plaza gives visitors a closer look at those details. From the plaza, viewers can explore the smaller elements within the artwork and find the community-created flowers throughout the design. The telescope also has a unique history of its own. Before coming to Fruita, it was used at the Empire State Building from 1991 to 1997.
The COOP Tower artwork and telescope were funded through lodging tax dollars generated by overnight visitors to Fruita. These funds are reinvested into tourism-related projects and improvements that support the resident and visitor experience. The COOP Tower project also creates a new reason for people to stop downtown and experience one of Fruita’s most recognizable landmarks in a different way.
The celebration will mark the completion of the project and give the community a chance to see the finished tower up close. Attendees will also be able to use the telescope, hear more about the project, and collect unique Fruita swag related to the celebration.
The community is invited to join the City and artist Andrea Downs at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 25, 2026, at the Mulberry Plaza to celebrate the unveiling.