After passing the blank slab of concrete marking the intersection of 14th Street with University Avenue the past four years, fourth-year student John Pappas, president of the Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity, decided to convert the area from a blemish on the Corner to a creative city landmark.
Pappas wanted to find a way to unite the University and Charlottesville communities and saw the crossroads as an intersection of the two that could be united through art.
The Charlottesville and University communities “always kind of seemed like really close neighbors, but still distant in some way,” Pappas said.
Initially, Pappas proposed a painted mural for the area to the Charlottesville Board of Architectural Review. Although the board liked the idea, they wanted him to find another way to convey it, citing concerns about the maintenance and upkeep of the mural. Members also noted that many paintings in public areas have lost the interest of their initial investors, forcing the city to pay for maintenance, Pappas said.
“I was faced with the decision of scrapping the plan completely or continuing,” he said.
Looking for a way to eliminate the need for upkeep, Pappas sought artist and 2008 College graduate James Erickson for a new plan to beautify the Corner area.
Erickson developed a new idea consisting of brick archways with a stained glass motif depicting different scenes of the Charlottesville and University communities. Beneath the archways, the mural will show scenes from Carter Mountain, the James River, the Downtown Mall, the Corner and other historic locations.
Before putting his idea into action, Pappas went to every Corner business owner to ask his or her thoughts about the project, and all the businesses supported the idea, he said.
Corner Business Association President Andy McClure said he feels that the mural project will enhance the traditional architecture of the Corner and in turn attract more people to the area.
The mural “should dramatically improve the area and customer experiences there,” he said.
Erickson found his inspiration for the scenes by reflecting on his time as a University student, particularly drawing from the many diverse experiences he encountered during his time here.
“The stained glass style was motivated by the idea that everyday experiences of Charlottesville can be spiritual or transcendent of everyday life,” he said.
The archways will represent University life, consistent with Jeffersonian architecture, and the stained glass scenes represent how the University and Charlottesville communities come together. In turn, the overall project will highlight how the two communities complement and support each other, Pappas said.
Erickson was partly motivated to design the project because he has met so many non-University-affiliated people in addition to University students in that specific area, designating it the perfect location for a representation of the two communities. Both Charlottesville residents and University students, moreover, will work to complete the project.
Financially, Phi Sigma Pi can allot only a certain amount of money toward the project, Pappas said. Pappas said he hoped that Charlottesville and the Corner Business Association will supplement the funds Phi Sigma Pi cannot obtain.
Non-monetary support for the project, meanwhile, remains strong. Corner business owners are not the only ones excited about the idea; University students also have expressed interest.
First-year Engineering student Courtney MacDowell said she has walked past the 14th Street area many times and said she considers the mural a solution for the “eyesore that currently exists at the intersection.”
First-year College student Katie Short added that she felt that public art displays seem fairly absent within the Charlottesville and University communities.
“This new addition will help bring art to the public eye,” she said.
On the whole, Pappas feels that the mural project will be his way to thank the Charlottesville and University communities. He said the project should be completed sometime this summer.
“If you talk to any fourth year, everyone wants to give back to the community that was so special to them,” Pappas said.
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