Student-Designed Art Deco Medallions Adorn Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore

Six hexagonal medallions embedded in concrete sit high above the east and west portals of the new fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel. Unveiled during the opening ceremony of the fourth bore on Nov. 15, 2013, the student-designed medallions pay homage to the 1937 Caldecott bores that are decorated with octagonal medallions displaying Art Deco scenes.

Based on a theme of “Art Deco Revisited,” elementary and high school students from Alameda and Contra Costa counties were invited in 2012 to submit designs to grace the new fourth bore. More than 300 paper-borne entries were narrowed to 63 and then to the six winning designs, which were later interpreted in clay by a sculptor, and finally cast in concrete as hexagonal medallions that are now nestled atop the new bore. The winning designs celebrate the Caldecott Tunnel and its natural setting between Alameda and Contra Costa counties, with imagery of the sun a recurring element.

—Georgia Lambert