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Early this winter, the
MDCA Design Committee installed a new
installation of banners in front of City Hall. Entitled “Historic Stores
of Montpelier,” the new banners feature enlargements of four historic
photographs complemented by two sets of solid color banners.
The banners depict downtown commercial scenes in years gone
by. One pair of banners shows the Blanchard Block decorated for Dewey Day
in 1899. Another shows the L. A. Flint grocery store in 1913 located at
42 Main Street, today’s site of Somer’s hardware store. The brick
building at the corner of Elm and School Streets, known in 1890 as the
Selinas Block, is depicted on a third; Matt’s Mini Mart is located there
today. The one interior scene depicts the E. L. Segel & Co. clothing store
at 22 Main Street, in about 1920, now occupied by The Drawing Board.
Each photograph has
been divided into two pieces and hangs on either side of a lamppost on
City Hall Plaza. The photographs on the banners are portions of larger
photographs. Each photograph is reproduced in its entirety on a sign
mounted on the front door of City Hall. The photographs of historic
downtown Montpelier were drawn from the extensive collection of the
Vermont Historical Society.
According to Paul
Carnahan, chair of the Design Committee and creator of the exhibit, the
purpose of the banner project is to illustrate a small piece of
Montpelier’s past, to recognize the storekeepers of Montpelier, and to
keep the City Hall Plaza a lively place. Carnahan hopes the images of
small retailers will reaffirm our community’s commitment to a strong
downtown.
The project was
supported in part by the City of Montpelier Community Arts
Fund, the Vermont Community Arts Council, and the National Endowment for
the Arts. The MDCA Design Committee is continuously looking for projects
that enhance the appearance of downtown Montpelier. Anyone who has new
ideas for banners at City Hall can contact MDCA Executive Director Heather
Shouldice at 223-9604 or heather@mdca.org.
The Montpelier Downtown
Community Association has installed new banners in front of City Hall.
The six sets of banners, which the organization changes quarterly, now
feature enlargements of four historic photographs complemented by two sets
of solid color banners. The display, assembled by MDCA Design Committee
Chair Paul Carnahan, is entitled “Historic Stores of Montpelier.” |
