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Neighbors band together to give Boylan Bridge iconic “it” factor.
Like the “Golden Gate” of our fair city—Boylan Bridge is a Downtown Raleigh icon. And she’s finally getting the care and attention she deserves via a splashy and significant coat of paint.
Enter local nonprofit Friends of the Boylan Bridge, founded last year by Bloomsbury Estates and Boylan Heights residents in an effort to improve the bridge. “It’s an iconic destination in Raleigh, but it doesn’t necessarily live up visually to what it could be,” says Christina Coffey, a founding member of the Friends.
The group’s first initiative? Beautifying the bridge, natch. They tapped local artist Jonathan Massullo—of Smoky Hollow and at A Place at the Table brushstroke fame—to splash a mural across the structure featuring four distinct cohesive designs on the pedestrian walls of each corner that slide from historic to modern.
On the Boylan Bridge side find architectural elements of Boylan Heights homes, trains of yore and the old truss bridge that was torn down in the ’70s nodding to the NC Railroad’s momentous 175th anniversary. Transitioning more mod, find bridges and “funky stuff” facing Wye Hill, shares founding member Alex Sawaia.
“To me, the bridge is more than infrastructure; it’s a destination unto itself,” says the master muralist. “It’s probably the best view of Downtown”—a space for contemplation and family strolls, never mind the meeting place for photos feting weddings, grads, birthdays, first dates and beyond, he continues. “The most enjoyable part has been witnessing all these actions play out, and knowing I’m making a mark on a beloved Raleigh location.”
Sawaia stresses the project—and the nonprofit as a whole—was a collaborative effort. “There were a lot of people involved in making this happen,” she maintains—from private donations and community events to local businesses who contributed raffle items to savvy neighbors who worked to score city grant funding.
While setting its sights on future projects, the Friends nonprofit’s ultimate goal is to continue collaborating with the city and railroad to improve the bridge and make it more visually appealing and safer for pedestrians. Translation: “We want it to look like an iconic bridge you would see in Europe,” says Coffey.
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