BERLIN – Municipal officials approved plans for a mural honoring the Rev. Dr. Charles Albert Tindley on Commerce Street.
On Wednesday, the Berlin Historic District Commission (HDC) unanimously approved plans for a mural honoring Tindley on the side of the Bruder Hill building on Commerce Street. Painting is expected to begin by June 1.
“This is something that’s great for our town,” HDC member Laura Stearns said.
Planning for a mural honoring Tindley, the renowned gospel singer born in Berlin, has been underway for more than a year. Though initially proposed for the Bruder Hill building, the bricks there weren’t the right texture. Instead, the organization behind the mural effort, Beach to Bay Heritage Area, proposed having it painted on the old Farlow’s Pharmacy building. Concerns from the HDC, however, convinced the group to rethink that idea.
Beach to Bay Heritage Area Executive Director Lisa Challenger convened a committee of stakeholders and the group came up with the concept of painting the mural on the smooth portion of the Bruder Hill building, where brick texture wouldn’t be an issue. That proposal is what Challenger presented to the commission this week. She said this project, which is funded with a $40,000 grant, would be part of a larger African American tourism project throughout Maryland. Murals, she added, have proven to be successful tourism drivers. This one will include a QR code that provides viewers with more information about Tindley.
“Murals are a really big thing across the country right now,” she said. “Many towns large and small are doing murals as a way to express who they are, tell a story, allow citizens to feel pride in their community.”
She added the image planned for the Bruder Hill building, which is being painted by artist Jay Coleman, was similar to what had been proposed before but featured more muted colors.
HDC member Mary Moore praised the changes.
“I think it’s more distinguished,” she said, adding that she was thrilled the QR code would make the mural an educational tool.
Challenger said the visual changes were the result of the comments the HDC made previously.
“We tried to hear and listen and be mindful of what everyone wanted and what would be acceptable,” she said. “We were willing to do whatever it takes because the end goal is to make it happen.”
Nornie Bunting, chair of the commission, said he liked the design and felt that having it on just the flat portion of the building enhanced it.
“It looks like the building has been chiseled away and found behind was this mural,” he said.
Stearns said the sepia coloring fit the project and the town.
“That gives it that historical look,” she said.
HDC member Brian Robertson said he liked the project but suggested a few changes, most notably darkening the shading at the edges to enhance the effect mentioned by Bunting, that the mural was hidden behind the brick.
HDC member Carol Rose credited Challenger and the project’s stakeholders for the amount of effort they put in to planning.
“It was a huge group of folks that really want to do a good job,” she said.
Several community members were in attendance to voice their support for the project. Among them was Melissa Reid, president of the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum. She said the museum had been involved in mural projects in Berlin in the past and was eager to be a part of this one. Tindley, she added, is being featured in an exhibit at the museum and was an important figure in the town’s history.
“We are behind this 100% to really make sure that this happens because it’s important,” Reid said. “It’s important for visual representation, it’s important for historical representation, it’s important for an inclusive representation.”
Bryan Russo, a local musician involved in the project, said the current proposal addressed previous concerns and represented a compromise. He stressed the project’s primary purpose was to honor Tindley.
“That’s really the big takeaway here, to celebrate a native son who’s never been properly celebrated,” he said.
Resident Greg Purnell also shared his support for the project.
“I know all of us, our parents told us when you go out in the world make your mark. Leave something the world will be able to use. Dr. Tindley did make a mark. It’s not a stain it’s a mark, indelible,” he said. “We in Berlin own it.”
The commission voted unanimously to approve the mural. Challenger said Coleman was currently working on a project in Virginia but that he hoped to begin work in Berlin by June 1 and be complete within a month.
