Artist Joseph Young designed his six-story, 60-ton public sculpture with all the bells and whistles—and we mean that almost literally.

The Triforium in downtown Los Angeles was built with 1,494 hand-blown, multi-colored glass cubes, a 79-note glass bell carillon, and a computer that was roughly the size of a refrigerator. Those colorful cubes would glow in sync with the music from the carillon, and motion sensors would allow passers-by to affect its behavior. Young had also envisioned adding lasers.

That was 1975. And truth be told, the Triforium appears no less futuristic today than it did 42 years ago. It’s like a rainbow-colored spaceship adjacent to Los Angeles’ City Hall.

But it’s been decades since the Triforium filled its surrounding plaza with lights and music. From the very beginning, it was beset with problems. Its computer system was glitchy. It was widely panned by local art critics. It went well over budget, to the dismay of city officials, and it proved incredibly difficult to maintain.

Eventually, its bulbs burned out, its instrument component was removed and sold, and its underground control room was locked up. The sculpture fell to disrepair.

“Now, it’s hidden in plain sight,” says Claire L. Evans of The Triforium Project, a volunteer group dedicated to repairing and re-activating the piece.

The group—helmed by creative directors Evans, Jona Bechtolt, and Tom Carroll—is a coalition of artists, planners, leaders, and L.A. enthusiasts, and they’re certain today’s technology is better equipped to handle Young’s original vision, what with new long-lasting LED lights, faster networked computer systems, and interactive smartphone apps that open new possibilities for interactivity and public engagement.

But technology isn’t the only thing that’s changed since the 1970s. Downtown Los Angeles, itself, has transformed, with the onslaught of new parks, restaurants, offices, and residences.

“There’s no reason why it shouldn’t work,” Carroll says. “If we can activate the site, people will come.”

The new vision for the Triforium is already gaining attention from local artists and musicians interested in contributing to the sculpture’s new life.

“It’s a compelling thing,” says Evans, who, along with Bechtolt, is in the band YACHT. “It’s a great opportunity to bring artists and musicians to downtown.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Heineken have collaborated with the Triforium Project as part of The Cities Project to raise funds for the sculpture’s restoration and bring its vision to life once again.

“[The Triforium] represents all the best of Los Angeles,” Evans says. “Its history, its aspirations toward the future, its hybridity between art and technology. It’s reimagining [the city’s] past for tomorrow.”