Join Oregon City on Saturday, September 25 from 11 am till 4 pm.

Murals are once again allowed in Oregon City. The first project to take place is the restoration of the historic mural “First Trolley” at 705 Main Street above the Don Pepe’s restaurant. The project will take place from September 20th to October 2nd.

On Saturday September 25th there will be a viewing event from 11-4. Tables and chairs will be set up for viewing while you munch on chips and salsa from Don Pepe’s restaurant. Please feel free to order a yummy Mexican dinner to go after the project.

The mural of the “First Trolley” was created by artist Larry Kangas in 1992. The building was originally constructed in 1908 and has held the OK Barber Shop and later a confectionery store. It is one of the few remaining wood frame buildings on Main Street.

The mural is a depiction of one of the first trolleys on Oregon City’s Main Street. The face of the conductor in the front of the trolley is that of businessman Urb Arbour, then owner of the building.

—
Trieste Andrews

You can now apply for a permit to paint a mural on your building!We’re very excited that the City Commission has seen how important murals are to the vibrancy and activity in downtown spaces. This week they approved the NEW mural code! You can start applying for those permits now! 

It’s taken several years to see this happen and DOCA is very grateful to the City staff and Commission and especially the Three Rivers Artist Guild for helping us make this a possibility. If you are interested in painting a mural on your building and would like to start the process, we’d be happy to help. 

More information and the application information is coming shortly, but we wanted to share with you right away so you can start getting your creativity working!

The mural code is on its final stages of being accepted by the City of Oregon City. After a year of hard work by Laura Terway Oregon City Community Development Director, Matthew Weintraub Toursim Specialist, the Oregon City Commissioners Board, and with the help of TRAG, the code is in its final stages of acceptance.

TRAG has already applied and received a grant through the Metro Enhancement Grant for two mural projects A restoration of the mural at Don Pepe’s of the Street car Trolley on Main Street will begin in September, and a new mural at the corner of 99 and Main Street at the White Rabbit Black Ink Coffee shop is in the planning stages.

Thank you Cathy Rowe from the the Three Rivers Artist Guild for all your hard work in helping to prepare the grant application. We are excited to have the funding available as soon as the mural code is in place. Keep your eye out for updates as we prepare for these two exciting mural projects.

It has come to TRAG’s attention that there is no code in place to allow for the installation of murals in Oregon City. Although they were allowed in the past, the code has since been changed to coincide with the rules and regulations of signs. As a result, because the allowable sign dimensions are so restrictive, a large mural is no longer permitted.

We believe it is in the best interest of Oregon City to revise the current code, and once again allow murals to be installed. The aesthetics of murals within a City can greatly enhance a City’s character. Moreover, they can create an atmosphere that is conducive to tourism and commerce – and ultimately a thriving economy. Silverton, Estacada, and The Dalles are all relatively smaller towns. However, they are famous for their murals. As a result, they use these beautiful artistic creations in their marketing and advertising to build a stronger economy for their merchants.

We are asking for your support to change the code and once again allow murals in Oregon City. We want to make it clear that we are NOT asking for financial support. There are a multitude of grants available to fund this kind of project once they are permitted. What we do need from you is your voice and patronage. If you would like to support this exciting initiative, you can fill out the short form below that follows a letter of support.

The letters will be collected by TRAG and submitted to the City Commissioners to show our community’s support for murals in Oregon City. We will then follow up at a City Commission meeting with a short presentation and hopefully a vote of confidence to start the code change. There is strength in numbers and being able to voice our vision of a more beautiful Oregon City to those in charge can bring it to fruition.

Art changes who we are as human beings. It can transform a life, a community, a culture. Let’s work together to bring back the allowance of murals in Oregon City.

Sincerely,

Trieste Andrews,
President
Three Rivers Artist Guild