Sometimes the alleyways are more interesting than the main streets. So it was on my recent visit to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
I would rank “The Buffalo” (2015?) as one of the two best urban street murals to be found in the City of Cheyenne (“The Cherub”–below–being the other). This one is a creation of Jordan Dean–his first, apparently–and can be found behind the Paramount Cafe. Spectacular…
The Buffalo Mural. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2016
On the left wing of the “Buffalo Mural” you’ll find this optical illusion done by Dan Toro (that link goes to an impressive video of yet another of Toro’s unique projects) in support of Dean’s big wall work…no, the band can’t really enter through that door…
Alley, The Paramount Cafe. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2016
You don’t need to look too closely to spot where Jordan Dean finally exits stage left…
Muralist’s Signature. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2016
“The Cherub” (2011), by Michael Cooper and just a block away from the Dean/Toro work, gets my vote as the other BEST urban mural in Cheyenne. Wonderful…
The Cherub at The Murray Building. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2016
Ernie November is a music, T-shirt, and “other cool stuff” shop in the downtown area. You won’t see this unless you wander the alley…
Ernie November. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2016
Another one you won’t see unless you check out the back entrance–Legend Comics and Cofee…
Legend Comics Mural. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2016
Now, to hark back to days of yore…These vertical billboards are now called “fading ads”, “brick ads”, or “ghost signs” and are an endangered species throughout the country, but a number can still be found throughout downtown Cheyenne. I wrote a short blog post about these old signs, with some background, history, and details, way back in 2013: See Henry George Cigars, December 8, 2013.
In the example below you can clearly read the “Drink Coca Cola” slogan above left, but the “Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco” paint is a bit more difficult to discern…
Ghost Ads. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2016
“Delicious and refreshing”–it must have been Cheyenne’s official soft drink…
Drink Coca Cola. Cheyenne, Wyoming, 2016
When Cheyenne built the big Frontier Mall out north of the airport in 1981, it spelled the doom of many of the small (and even larger) businesses in the downtown area. A story repeated ad nauseam elsewhere throughout our fair land of enthusiastic real estate investors and moguls. Alas, the 2008 recession hasn’t helped things in the urban revitalization department and many city center storefronts here are still vacant.
However, the City of Cheyenne seems to be working in the right direction and there are plenty of signs that downtown life is stirring–theaters (the melodrama!), cafes, small specialty shops, many scheduled events and activities (Frontier Days!), music, and so on. The obvious centerpiece is the renovated Union Pacific Railroad Depot Museum and Plaza, but the Mural Project is certainly another essential part of the program.
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