I love the Diving Belles, an awesome bike-powered public art project in Pioneer Square’s Nord Alley. But the project’s life ended too early, stolen and vandalized until the artists took it down for good.

We wrote about the project when Artist Kyler Martz and UW Architecture student Jason Duckowitz installed it in early July. The coolest piece is a swimming woman whose arms move when you turn a bike crank with your hand. After a recent Sounder’s game (eat it, Beckham!), I watched a kid having the time of his life turning the crank and watching the woman swim. What a fantastic way to turn a sometimes grim but heavily used alley space into a joyful family-friendly spot!

But Madi from FamilyRide reports via Twitter that pieces of the project were stolen. She took a photo of last piece being removed:

Last look at the Nord Alley public art. Two were stolen over the weekend so this last one will go to a safer home. twitter.com/familyride/sta…

— familyride (@familyride) August 13, 2012

Farewell Diving Belles! At least you made it to the end of the London Olympics!

Here’s a video about their creation so you can see them in action:

The Diving Belles from Tim Willis on Vimeo.