Nearly completed, a mural featuring seven longtime fixtures of State Street now greets passers-by on the façade of 318 W. Gorham St. This is on the west side of the block between State and Broom, and houses the Land's End retailer that faces State.. Amidst a series of blank and painted walls, next to the back door of the Yellow Jersey and its free air pump, and across the street from Cue-Nique Billiards, the mural has been in the works since last year, and was painted in the last couple of months.

Created by Mikii Youngbauer, the mural features seven Madisonians sitting and facing the street, with the scene across Gorham appearing in painted reflections. "We wanted to make it like an outdoor café scene, as you would see on State Street," Youngbauer said. The mural was commissioned by Hans and Mary Lang Sollinger, the building's owners, and was approved by the city's Urban Design Committee last October. More photos appear below the fold.

The mural portrays seven downtown denizens, mostly State Street business owners, perhaps recognizable to some folks. From left to right, with their affiliation in parentheses, they are: Donna Salvorson, Mike Verveer (longtime Fourth District Alder), Trudy Barash (Avol's Books), Charlie Rogers (The Sacred Feather), Sandi Torkildson (A Room of One's Own), Tony Badane (The Sacred Feather), Chuck Bauer (The Soap Opera), and Cal Worrell (a manager at the Concourse Hotel). All of them, excepting Salvorson who is deceased, are regulars in the neigborhood.

While planning the mural, Youngbauer met with the latter six individuals, who spoke with her about the concept of the mural and posed for photos. The seven persons depicted are "all people who have contributed to State Street with volunteer work; they have worked to make State Street a better place," Youngbauer explained.

Based in Madison, Youngbauer "has been painting for over 15 years," working on "murals and decorative finishes for residential and commercial clients throughout the country,” a style featured in the October 2004 issue of Madison Magazine. Besides this piece, she also recently completed a mural at the Oakwood Retirement Community, which is off Mineral Point Road.

Photos of the mural of seven Madisonians at 318 W. Gorham St.