Each angle produces a different hue which emanates from the windows, visible from the bridge, the Washington Metro and the Potomac River, but in compliance with U.S. Coast Guard regulations, not allowing it to distract drivers on land or water.

[2] The Washington D.C. Department of Transportation believed that the watchtower, which served as a lookout point for the bridge's former role as a drawbridge (which ended in the 1960s), was an eyesore and requested the assistance of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities to find an artist to create something that would enhance the space.

The submission requirements set by the District Department of Transportation reflected concerns for driver safety: no additional extensions to the height of the tower or flashing lights were allowed, the artwork could not slow down traffic, and of course safety, low maintenance, and durability to the work of art were required.

[1][3] Mikyoung Kim is a landscape architect from Boston, Massachusetts and currently serves as a professor of design at the Rhode Island School of Design[4] Kim's creation of the Bridge Tenders House was inspired by the "shimmering Potomac river" and the "fast paced movement of the train and cars".

[5] The 400-watt metal halide fixture and fiber optic illuminating boxes require a bulb change every 1 to 2 years.