Tolar Manufacturing Co. completed the design and fabrication of 41 custom-built, “papel picado”-themed, transit shelters for the City of Santa Ana, California.

Working closely with ND Construction Inc., Tolar Manufacturing brought to life the vision of Suzi Furjanic, an associate planner with the City of Santa Ana Public Works department. Her concept was to embrace the popular Mexican folk art known as “papel picado,” the elaborate designs created from cutting colorful sheets of tissue paper.

Furjanic’s vision for the transit shelters was to take the rugged steel structure and enhance and soften the lines with colorful acrylic roof panels and other artistic elements. Tolar Manufacturing was up for the challenge of blending form and function so as to not lose the important durable integrity of the shelter while effectively bringing the artistic elements to life.

The shelters are now installed throughout the city, fabricated in four sizes from 14 feet to 27 feet long.

• Each includes distinct branding elements highlighted by colorfully tinted polycarbonate roof panels to create a Sense of Place™ tying into the heritage and culture of the unique neighborhoods in which each shelter resides.

• The shelters also include comfortable seating and security lighting that doubles as decorative up-lighting provided by energy-saving, dusk-to-dawn solar-powered LED illumination from Urban Solar.