Craftsman Village Mural

Art Mortimer

This mural celebrates the Craftsman Village Historic District in Long Beach, CA. This neighborhood of mostly Craftsman-style homes had been quite run down, but recently residents have been working to improve the neighborhood and have received the “Historic District” designation from the City. The mural presents the neighborhood as a place that is so attractive that it is visited by tourists. The mural depicts, in the center, a large travel poster for the whole neighborhood. Arranged on either side of the poster are a series of luggage stickers — one for each street within the district. Each element depicts something relevant to that particular street, whether historic or contemporary. This is the view from the right end of the mural. The Hellman Street sticker depicts Mr. Isaias Hellman, a banker and developer who first subdivided the larger tract the neighborhood is a part of, and for whom that street is named.