In 2003, the City of Lafayette launched a collaborative public art project involving businesses, Front Range artists, and teens from the Youth Advisory Board. Hundreds of hours were spent creating thirteen 4-1/2 foot barn owls for the Lafayette Hoot project. The owls originally stood watch in various businesses and public buildings throughout the city. In August 2015, the remaining nine sculptures were reunited, repaired, and cleaned up for display at City Hall for public viewing.
The barn owl was chosen as the subject for the original art project because it is an indigenous species of Lafayette and symbolizes the area’s agricultural heritage. Owls are generally solitary, but when convening together in a group, they are referred to as a “parliament”. This, coupled with their characteristic of possessing a wise disposition, makes outside the Lafayette City Council Chamber a fitting home for the owls to be on display.