Paris Planners and an Algerian Imam Shun Love Locks; Fort Worth, TX Developer Ron Sturgeon Embraces Them
Developer Invites Lovers to Partake in Ritual at Love Locks Mural in New Fort Worth Design District
September 20, 2018—Fort Worth, TX – No one knows where love locks originated. Always reliable Wikipedia credits Serbian lovers in the resort town of Vernjacka Banjaas being the first to place locks on a bridge that was the meeting place of a pair of noted lovers.
No matter where the tradition originated, some people hate it.
In some places, love locks have been the target of religious ire. In September of 2013, in Algeria, a local Imam decried love locks. A few of the faithful removed them from a bridge in Telemly a few nights later.
In 2015, Parisian planners removed 45 tons of love locks from the ironwork of Pont des Arts. They did it because the weight of the locks threatened the integrity of the centuries-old iron bridge.
Two Americans in Paris were so upset by the proliferation of the love tokens that they started a love without lockstmwebsite (nolovelocks.com) in true you-kids-get off-my-lawn spirit.
Not everyone shares their anti-love lock sentiment. “Love is beautiful and so are love tokens,” said Real Estate Developer Ron Sturgeon. “Maybe bridges aren’t ideal places for them, but there should be a public space where love locks can be shared,” he added.
In Fort Worth, TX’s newest design district, love locks are welcome. In fact, in the Snap and Share Art Walk, love locks have a special mural dedicated to them.
“Lovers of all ages are welcome to come and add a lock to the Love Locks mural,” said Sturgeon, President of RDS Real Estate, the creator of the 40-acre district.
“We’re glad to make room for the magic that comes from being in love,” said Sturgeon.
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