THOUSAND OAKS : Copper Curtain Approved for Civic Arts Plaza

The Thousand Oaks City Council on Tuesday approved plans to install a copper curtain on the eastern wall of the Civic Arts Plaza tower, adding a one-of-a-kind embellishment to a building already unlike any other in the city.

Councilwomen Elois Zeanah and Jaime Zukowski dissented, arguing that the $150,000 price tag was too high. In the past they have said the unusual 50-foot-by-60-foot design would call undue attention to the 10-story tower.

But the council majority seemed tickled by the idea of Thousand Oaks sponsoring an artistic and architectural experiment. Hundreds of corrosion-proof copper panels, about 11 inches by 17 inches, will hang on cables down the eastern wall, rippling in the breeze and shimmering in the sunlight.

Such a sculpture has never before been attempted, project manager Edward Johnduff said. Yet he assured the council that engineers were confident they could secure the panels to withstand winds and could tint them to prevent distracting glints.

“I think this will create a statement for what we are doing here in this community. We need to stand up and be proud,” Mayor Judy Lazar said.

The curtain will complement another unique design on the western side of the tower. On the so-called “pictograph wall,” window slits and slightly protruding copper tubes will form images loosely derived from Chumash signs, such as a snake and condor.

Money for the copper curtain will come from a $3.3-million contingency fund built into the Civic Arts Plaza’s $63.8-million budget.

Any money left over in the contingency fund when the auditorium opens in October, 1994, will be divided between the redevelopment agency and the city’s general fund, Johnduff said.