Those headed North on South Main Street might notice a new pop of color at the corner of South 4th and Worth Street. A new photographic collage of Council Bluffs and the Gibraltar neighborhood has been installed on the Pottawattamie County Genealogical Society building.
The piece was funded by the Iowa West Foundation and facilitated by The 712 Initiative in a series neighborhood walkability projects aimed to enhance the experience of being a pedestrian in the city.
For this project, residents in the Gibraltar Neighborhood Association and members of the Pottawattamie Genealogical Society submitted their favorite photographs for consideration. These came from personal collections as well as the Council Bluffs Public Library’s Special Collections.
Resident artist, and longtime neighborhood advocate, Cory Peters, compiled the collage which includes many current and historic Council Bluffs people and places. If you look closely you can even spot current Mayor and former Gibraltar resident Matt Walsh.
“For me, the most rewarding part of this project was how many folks contributed to its creation,” said Turner Morgan, Neighborhood Coordinator for The 712 Initiative and current president of the Gibraltar Neighborhood Association. “It really was a collaboration between the whole neighborhood and something we can be proud of for years to come.”
“This mural is unique because it was installed using a tension frame system. When the day comes that this mural wears out, we can use the frame to install a new piece of art for future residents and neighbors.”
Additional thanks go to Watie White, Revolution Wraps, Direct Edge Denver, the Pottawattamie County Genealogical Society, the Council Bluffs Public Library and Gibraltar Neighborhood Association for their help with this mural.
