A section of sidewalk in the Fan. Clean. Replaced. Nothing unusual unless you know what used to be there. For years, there was a handgun-shaped impression pressed into the concrete on this block, the 00 block of South Addison Street, between Cary and Main. It wasn’t carved or installed, just left behind — an object set into wet concrete.
It sat there quietly for decades. Then, a social media post went viral. Photos spread. People started coming to see it. It became a kind of unofficial landmark — part curiosity, part conversation, part something harder to define. Then the sidewalk was replaced.
The impression is gone. It became so famous that Valentine Museum claimed it. You can still see it there.
What makes this a TruePlace? It was never supposed to matter. And then it mattered enough that people came to see it. And now it’s gone—but the place still holds it.
Clean timeline
- ~2000s: impression exists quietly
- Jan 26, 2024: viral tweet
- Jan 30–31, 2024: first news coverage
- Early Feb 2024: shrine / crowds
- May 2025: sidewalk removed, given to Valentine Museum