A big piece of a symbol of the Downtown Project’s dedication to the revitalization of downtown Las Vegas was stolen early Thursday morning.
The Love Locket is an interactive, metal heart-shaped sculpture that allows people to attach locks and other pieces of metal displaying their hopes, dreams and loves, Downtown Project spokeswoman Maria Phelan said.
The sculpture is kept in front of Container Park, 707 Fremont St., where early-arriving employees noticed its damage and missing piece.
Security video footage revealed that a couple of people cut one side of the art piece loose and loaded it into a truck about 1 a.m., she said.
“It is a shame to see that someone would vandalize something so meaningful to the community,” Phelan added.
The piece was created by artist Nova May for the first Life is Beautiful festival in 2013. It signifies the the growth of downtown and symbolizes the love put into the Downtown Project by people who live and work there and helped revitalize the area.
The uniqueness of the piece makes it “impossible to replace,” Phelan said. “We are hoping to get it back.”
A metal grate has been put in place of the missing piece and at least 14 locks have been added to it since the incident.
Contact Lawren Linehan at llinehan@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @lawrenlinehan