Murals + Art: Welcome to Market Street Banner
To begin our work as a new Market Street MTC team, Murals + Art commissioned the design of a vibrant historic Market Street scene in the form of a durable 7’ x 18’ banner.
Artist Lisa Donohue, a good friend of one of our team members, was kind enough to donate her services to this project. Referencing many photographs of Mount Carmel in the 1940s, she digitally illustrated this historically accurate depiction of Market Street, complete with all the shops of that era, rendered in eye-catching saturated hues.
This banner is currently installed on the front of the old Ben Franklin Building which is undergoing extensive renovations to save its historic structure. This building is an important part of the history of Mount Carmel’s uptown district. Built in the mid-1800s, the building has housed numerous retail establishments including Index Five and Dime, Woolworth’s, and the Ben Franklin craft supply store. When renovations are complete, the building will be a key part of Market Street’s future and will house the Constant Cravings vintage candy shop and a cafe. The Welcome to Market Street banner will remain in place until refurbished windows are fitted onto the building’s front. At that point, the banner will move to another location on the street.
After the banner was installed, Mount Carmel High School art teacher, Laurel Thomas, and a team of her students helped us extended the faux-brick street down onto the sidewalk. With their sidewalk painting now complete, visitors can stand “in the street,” fully immersed in this historic Mount Carmel scene, for a photo with the banner.