Lynchburg’s Midtown Parking Deck Receives Artistic Upgrade

The Downtown Lynchburg Association (DLA) recently completed an artistic project on its Midtown Parking Deck, turning the deck’s plain, gray walls into expansive murals. 

From March 1-20, volunteers worked together to paint the interior and exterior of the garage walls. Visitors can now see and enjoy these murals as they park inside the deck or pass by. 

DLA’s goal is to provide new attractions, art and events to the area, such as the Art Alley that opened last October. DLA’s mission statement says that they “strive to create a strong, vibrant and welcoming downtown with a unique and historic character.” The Midtown Parking Deck project is another step in  that direction.

The DLA ran the Midtown Deck project. The Bank of the James sponsored and funded it. 

The Midtown Parking Deck was specifically chosen for an artistic upgrade in order to make visitors aware that it’s an available resource for people looking to park. DLA staff walked around the downtown area, looked at the outside of the garage and saw an opportunity to redesign it. Also, it creates a fun photo spot for the community to commemorate trips and post pictures   of online. 

In addition, some of Lynchburg’s buildings are historical sites, meaning they cannot be painted on or altered. Therefore, the Midtown Parking Deck, which is not a historical site, was optimal for a renovation. 

The parking deck has four floors to cover, so four different yet cohesive designs were needed. Susan Brown served as the director of programs and events. Her role was to design the murals with staff input. 

The vision was for the first and third floors was to have a matching geometric design, while the second and fourth floors have a matching floral design. The same color palette runs throughout all four floors.

To recruit volunteers, DLA utilized a list of volunteer contacts from past events, their social media, website and  board of 17 members to bring the project from idea to reality. DLA posted about the volunteer opportunity on their Instagram, @downtownlynchburg, and Facebook page, Downtown Lynchburg Association. The project was also posted in the DLA newsletter. 

Many of the volunteers were artists who wanted to give back to the community and make a lasting impression by creating something that will stay for years to come. Some brought their families along to make it a fun group activity. 

After 200 hours of painting from the volunteers and 200 hours of planning and painting over the span of three weeks, DLA’s staff and volunteers completed the project. 

James Ford, marketing director for DLA, was in charge of promotion and marketing during and post-project by taking photos and videos and posting about the project online. Also, he helped to paint the garage with the rest of the DLA staff.  

He said that DLA is satisfied with the results, which were made with careful attention to detail and artistic talent. 

“We are thrilled with how the designs turned out,” he said. “There is a lot of detail in the floral designs, and the geometric designs took a lot of patience and concentration to execute to the standard that we wanted. All in all, we could not be more happy.”

Liberty students can get involved with future projects by following DLA’s social media and sign up for their email blast to find more volunteer opportunities. Also, students can go to the website at downtownlynchburg.com to see what’s new and sign up for their newsletter. 

Marsden is a feature reporter.