St. Johnsbury, Vermont – In the midst of construction, a temporary plywood wall has gone up on the façade of the former Caplan’s Army Navy Store in downtown St. Johnsbury. Northern Counties Health Care has plans for a temporary mural by local artist Larry Golden to beautify the construction site.
The temporary plywood ensures pedestrian safety during the construction of the façade, which includes upgrading glass for the windows. When community partners learned the wall would be up for around two months, they connected to brainstorm about how best to beautify the site.
The group landed on a maple-themed mural to tie in with the upcoming Kingdom Maple Festival on April 22nd and help usher in spring. Artist Larry Golden agreed to the plan and started work on the mural this week. Larry’s son Ricky will be assisting with the process.
The mural is made possible through a partnership with Catamount Film & Arts and resident Heather Alger and funds from Discover St. Johnsbury and Graves Builders. Aubuchon Hardware and Sherwin-Williams generously donated paint for the mural.
“We know the Caplan’s Building is well-loved by many people,” said Brynn Evans, NCHC’s Director of Development & Marketing. “Northern Counties is thrilled that this partnership will help the building be part of the downtown community, even during construction.”
Northern Counties Health Care plans to honor the history of the Caplan’s Building through the renovation project. Once completed later this summer, Northern Express Care – St. Johnsbury will relocate to the building. The new space will enhance walk-in primary services for the community. Details about the project can be found here.
