New mural in downtown Fort Myers on Hall of 50 States

More murals are popping up in downtown Fort Myers as the community tries to bounce back from Hurricane Ian to liven the area up.

Downtown Fort Myers has a new eye-catching mural bringing vibrant color to the side of the Hall of 50 States, but getting it there was a process.

“So how could we honor the history of the building, which was our guarantee to historic preservation,” Shari Shifrin, the director of the Fort Myers mural society, said.

Shifrin told WINK News that the building is protected under the historic preservation act.

“They didn’t really want a permanent installation, so we agreed to do a temporary installation, which is why the mural is on panels, and then attached to the building with framework similar to the plywood that’s over the windows,” Shifrin said.

The murals were all painted with respect to the history of the building. The four-panel mural features a woman driver, cigar company, pelican on Pleasure Pier, and the 1938 version of the arcade, which stands to this day.

“It is a nice visual. When you’re walking, it does brings your attention,” Fort Myers resident Patricia Kozial said.

Shifrin gave WINK News a sneak peek at some of the other murals set to go up very soon. The Fort Myers mural society hopes to add art to the building’s other blank walls once they secure more funding.