The Altadena mural was recently completed in our neighborhood. It’s refreshing to finally create a public art piece as true local artists after traveling the country for many years working with so many different communities! This was a fun project as we got to meet a lot of our neighbors in the process. Since we moved here during the pandemic, it’s been slow to meet new people but it’s a sign that positive change is on the way.

Since we moved to the area, we would find ourselves on daily trips to the hardware store to pick up supplies. We always try to support the smaller local businesses first before going to the larger box stores like Home Depot & Lowe’s. As we would drive up to park at Altadena Hardware, Victor noticed a perfectly framed out blank wall that was begging for some artwork. In January of 2021, we talked to the store owners about it who connected us with the property owner Joey Galloway. Joey was a long time resident of the area and he was on immediately board with our project. He’s also been an amazing community leader that’s working hard on brightening up the block to bring back restaurants and small businesses.

While we are known for our large letter postcard style murals, we wanted to explore some different styles of mural that we can offer. Similar to our recent experimental luggage decal style mural at Highlight Coffee, Joey also gave us the creative freedom to do what we do best. For this mural design, our inspiration was pulled from the classic Art Deco style travel posters. We focused on the historic Mount Lowe Railway that was at the location of this mural. For the color palette, we chose more muted colors than the saturated color scheme we are known for. The orientation of this wall space was also a great canvas since we usually go wider than taller.

Our goal was to raise some awareness of this cool story of Altadena’s past. The Mount Lowe Railway was the third in a series of scenic mountain railroads in America created as a tourist attraction on Echo Mountain and Mount Lowe, north of Los Angeles. It existed from 1893 until its official abandonment in 1938, and had the distinction of being the only scenic mountain, electric traction (overhead electric trolley) railroad ever built in the United States! The Railway opened on July 4, 1893, and consisted of nearly seven miles (11 km) of track starting in Altadena, California, at a station called Mountain Junction. That station was right by the present day location of this mural. Atop the mountain also once stood the magnificent 70-room Victorian hotel, the Echo Mountain House.

It’s unfortunate that none of this exists today after a series of natural disasters and financial issues for the owners. However, you can still hike up there today and see the remnants of some of the structures and trolley itself. It would be amazing to bring something like this back one day! Check out some of the old footage in the video below along with some historic photos (Altadena Historical Society)

It was a pleasure to meet everyone who stopped by while we were painting. If you want to help support our project please support all the local businesses nearby when you visit the mural. Our goal is to prove that public art can drive traffic to help the community thrive. Thank you to everyone involved and we look forward to more local projects in the future!

Year: 2021

Mural Size: 15'H x 8'W

Location: 849 E Mariposa St, Altadena, CA 91001

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