by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Sweetheart City expands its artistic legacy with public art installation and new tourism hub
LOVELAND, Colo. — Visitors and residents in Northern Colorado will soon have more reasons to explore downtown Loveland, as the City of Loveland and Visit Loveland unveil a third iconic love lock sculpture and a new downtown Visitors Center branch this month. The sculpture will be unveiled on Friday, July 18, 2025, on the southwest side of the Loveland Museum, located at 503 N. Lincoln Ave. The new Visitors Center will open inside the museum the following day.
These enhancements aim to strengthen tourism and provide locals and guests with even more opportunities to celebrate Loveland’s identity through public art, local culture, and lasting experiences.
“With over $12.5 million invested in public art, Loveland’s identity is rooted in art, sculpture, and, of course, love,” said Charles Lammers, destination marketing manager for Visit Loveland. “The love lock sculptures are a method of wayfinding around town, and with the new Visitors Center branch inside the Loveland Museum, we’re inviting visitors to explore different areas of our city and make a lasting memory.”
The newest sculpture will feature 40 red steel hearts of various sizes, arranged in the shape of a larger heart. A grid design will allow visitors to place padlocks symbolizing their love. During the July 18 ceremony, Mayor Pro Tem Jon Mallo will set the first lock, followed by a winning couple selected through Visit Loveland’s social media contest, who will put a specially engraved lock of their own.
In addition to remarks from Mayor Pro-tem Mallo and Visit Loveland staff, the event will include appearances by key city leaders and the sculpture’s creator, artist and engineer Doug Rutledge, who also crafted Loveland’s other two existing love lock sculptures.
The grand opening of the Visitors Center on Saturday, July 19, will feature refreshments, giveaways, and special engraved love locks for the first 10 groups to arrive through the door. Visitors may purchase locks on site or bring their own to add to the sculpture.
The new Visitors Center branch will offer local artisan gifts, exclusive downtown merchandise, and items inspired by Loveland’s nationally recognized art scene. Funded through lodging tax revenues that reached $1.4 million in 2024, this initiative supports tourism-driven economic development. The existing Visitors Center welcomed more than 12,000 guests last year and sold over 1,200 locks annually.
To accommodate increasing demand, two more love lock sculptures will be added by the end of 2025—one near the East Visitors Center (5400 Stone Creek Cir.) and another at Lake Loveland near West Eisenhower Boulevard and Lake Drive—bringing the total to five citywide.
Learn more about Loveland’s attractions at VisitLoveland.com.
Story information courtesy of the City of Loveland and Visit Loveland.