Since early June, motorists on State and Highland streets have been treated to a bright splash of color on the east side of the former Mayberry Electric building at 104 State St., but the project goes deeper than the exterior design.
“The mural is part of a larger building renovation project that my family and I have completed over the past two years,” says developer Mackenzie (Westcott) Galli. “The project includes the opening of two short-term rental lofts on the top floor and several retail openings on the ground floor.”
The first inaugural phase of the project will kick off on June 16 between 4pm and 6pm with a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony as part of the “Third Friday on the Square” event.
“At this event we will unveil the mural and conduct tours of the renovated 1890 lofts. The lofts are two-bedroom, one-bathroom spaces with exposed brick, natural sunlight, and modern conveniences,” says Galli. Each room suite also has a kitchen, living and dining area.
“Each loft evokes a different era in the history of the building,” she explains. “The Harvester pays homage to the Deering Harvester Company, which operated a small engine and twine dealership on the first floor of the building in the early 20th century. The Mayberry pays tribute to the recent past by honoring Mayberry Electric and its past owners as I knew the building in my life.”
For booking information and photos, visit 1890Lofts.com. The second phase of opening retail space on the ground floor of the building will take place this fall.
Proud of Williamsburg
The mural is an important part of the overall project, says Galli, who currently lives in Clive and works as an actuary. A native of Williamsburg, she graduated from Williamsburg High School in 2008. Her father’s family is from Oxford and her mother’s family from Parnell. With both sides of her family still living in the area, she notes that this project allows her to stay connected to her hometown.
“Williamsburg and its people have been fundamental to me and my family,” she says. “I hope that through the work that my family and I have done in this building, the community can feel the love and gratitude we have for this community and its people.”
“With the beautification of the building and its visible location, I hope that it will be a beacon for access to the town square to bring more business to the square’s small business owners,” she continues. “I hope the mural promotes Iowan pride and encourages local interaction with it. Finally, I hope the redeveloped areas can serve as a springboard for new small business owners to offer more services to both Williamsburg and non-Williamsburg residents.”
project timeline
The completed mural reflects two years of planning and a partnership with the city.
“In the spring of 2021, the City of Williamsburg and I submitted a pre-application for the (Catalyst) grant and were subsequently asked to submit a full application based on the merits of my idea,” Galli explains. “We competed with other initiatives statewide and received the grant in the summer of 2021. The City of Williamsburg provided grant writing and submission assistance to bring the building’s impact to the community to life.”
As grant recipients, the city of Williamsburg and Galli received $100,000 under the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Community Catalyst Building Remediation Program, she explains. This project was sponsored in part by the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
“The City of Williamsburg provided $5,000 in kind and $5,000 for beautification and directionality,” says Galli. “The city’s support for this project was decisive for the award of the grant as one of the application criteria assesses the city’s support for the project. The level of support from the city was a competitive advantage for this project.”
The result was an even stronger bond between Galli and her hometown.
“I attended several city council meetings to introduce the motion, brief council members on the process, apply for city funding, and gather feedback from the city council on the use of the beautification/signage funds, which led to the selection of the mural,” recalls Galli. “The City Council, City Clerk, City Attorney, City Administrator and City Police have been extremely supportive and helpful throughout the process and I want to thank them for their patience, insight and willingness to work with me.”
“The city is pleased with the completion of this project,” said Williamsburg City Manager Aaron Sandersfeld. “Williamsburg is fortunate to have many local entrepreneurs willing to invest their time, energy and capital in our community. This project is a cornerstone of the square “Attracting people to our business district.”
He noted that this project illustrates the importance of public-private partnerships.
“Bringing government funds with private funds has had a major impact on our ability to preserve Williamsburg Square’s historic aesthetic,” Sandersfeld said. “The addition of the 1890 Lofts is a great addition to Williamsburg. For a community of our size with many business travelers, we lack quality accommodations.”
The mural
The mural on the east side of the building depicts a farm landscape against a colorful sky and is emblazoned with the caption “How Lucky Are We?”.
“At the time of submitting the grant in 2021, I was working with the then-owner of Colorful, an art-focused studio and company in Williamsburg’s Square, to identify a pool of potential muralists for the piece,” says Galli. “In the spring of 2023, when the exterior of the building was complete, I surveyed the work of the provided muralists and was amazed by the use of color and the boldness of the artist’s designs. The artist also had experience of large exterior murals with inscribed lettering. Finally, the artist was based in eastern Iowa, which helped me interpret my goals and ultimately execute on the final mural design.”
The finished product represents three phrases Galli developed from her project goals. They were: locally proud, interactively attractive, and bravely happy. All have been approved by the city council.
Once these were established, Galli and Lauren Gifford, an Iowa native who now lives in San Francisco, California, worked to bring these concepts to life through imagery and wording.
“It took a handful of iterations before we settled on a final draft, which was then presented to the council,” says Galli.
The artist
Lauren Gifford grew up in Cedar Rapids and earned a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship from Iowa State University. An artist since childhood, she opened her own studio after college, creating custom murals for a variety of settings including wedding venues, elementary schools and public beautification projects.
“My goal is for each work of art to resonate with the community in which it lives and be a splash of color and a spark of joy to everyone who walks by,” says Gifford.
She became involved with the Williamsburg project after meeting Galli through an acquaintance at a local business. The two women worked together to develop a design that would capture the cherished aspects of life in Williamsburg.
“‘How lucky are we?’ is a work of art that evokes a feeling of being at home,” says Gifford.
This mural features a cascading gradient created using a varied brushstroke technique to blend one color into the next. Gifford also created a custom hand lettered design with flourishes. One of her specialties is writing as she has led calligraphy workshops in the past.
“This mural is possibly my favorite public work of art I’ve ever created,” she says. “The combination of local input and the freedom to work in my style and color palette has led to exciting breakthroughs in my creative process. I am so grateful that I was the artist chosen for this piece.”
Interior contractor
While Galli and her father, Scott Westcott, did much of the interior work on the building, they hired the following local contractors to help them with the project: Imhoff Electric, Spratt Construction, Day Plumbing and Heating, Jones Painting, MGSI Ltd., Yoder Masonry, L&J Coatings and Weldon Drywall.
Comments: Melinda.Wichmann@southeastiowaunion.com
