Saturday, November 15, 2008

From a time long past

A mural in the neighborhood that’s fading away…

The Hyde Park area on 13th Street has existed for well over 100 years; it’s on the National Register of Historical Places. Merchants set up stores and businesses in the late 1800s and there was streetcar service within Boise and outlying areas, including Hyde Park (you can see the street car in the mural).

Today it features a variety of businesses, including several places to eat, a bicycle shop, barber shop, art gallery, outdoor clothing store, post office/used bookstore, ice cream parlor, and an antique store. No streetcars today. But it’s on the city bus line.

I haven’t heard of any plans to restore the mural. It was painted in 1983; it will probably go the way of the streetcar…

2 comments:

Katie said...

Very cool mural! I'm not sure how the artist fees about restoration, but I like the faded nature of it. Makes it seem almost as old as the streetcar!

Ms M said...

The faded look does lend itself well to a mural showing the past. I don't know who the artist is or if he/she even still lives here. The mural is chipping in some places. It's on the south side of the building, which puts it in a lot of sunshine during the summer, but helps protect it during the winter. It'll probably last for quite a while yet.