Over the years, the sculpture suffered from a leaking reflection pool located at its base and pigeons often roosted in the structure. It was reputed to be "too expensive to fix, but too expensive to tear down." A December 14, 2006, "Los Angeles Times" article mentioned several nicknames that the sculpture has acquired over its lifetime: The Psychedelic Nickelodeon, Trifoolery, Three Wishbones in Search of a Turkey, Kitsch-22 of Kinetic Sculpture, and Joe's L.A. Space Launch. In 2002, Joseph Young reflected on the state of disrepair that the sculpture had fallen into. "At times it was very lonely...When you do something that affects public tastes, you have to be armed to face the extremes of behavior." Finally, after decades of inoperation, the lighting effects were restored and reactivated on December 13, 2006, following a $7,500 refurbishment. The sound synchronization computer was still due to be replaced when the lights and sound were turned back on. The sound currently heard from the Triforium speakers now originates from an external playback source and not the Finkenbeiner Triforium Carillon, which was disconnected and is now privately owned. In 2016, the sculpture received a further upgrade, paid for with $100,000 won in the LA2050 grant competition directed by the Goldhirsh Foundation. According to Public Art in Public Places, this latest upgrade did not restore the original reflecting pool. After two years of upgrades, a team of sound and light engineering firms created “The Triforium Project” to sponsor and produce live musical performances, (the latest in October and November 2018).