Standards and Guidelines 2023-0607

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City of South Bend and St. Joseph County Historic Preservation Guidelines 54 Commercial Standards: Murals Murals can become iconic spots in commercial historic Districts, contributing to its unique identity as well as its public art . Murals can be defined in these ways: • Mural Signs contain advertising or directly promote a product, business, organization, or political message (not recommended). • Artistic Murals contain no advertising of any type (recommended). What is Your Project? Repaint an Existing Mural • Historic “ghost sign” advertisements and murals should be retained, but should not be repainted, removed, or altered unless the structural integrity of the buildings is at risk . • Replication of an historic mural sign that has been removed could be acceptable if adequate photo documentation of the original sign exists . New Artistic Murals • Artistic murals should consist exclusively of paint and contain no type of advertising . • New murals should only be painted on previously painted flat surfaces of back or side walls. • Murals could be painted on panels inserted into a frame that is attached in mortar joints . • Before installing a new mural, the owner must ensure the wall underneath is properly repaired and in good condition . Refer also to section about Walls . • A mural painted in an outdoor location becomes public art . When planning a mural, consideration should be given to ownership of the mural (artist or building owner), location, and on-going maintenance, as well as local regulations. See guidance here for murals . The following is not recommended and generally not approved by the Commission: • Vinyl murals . • Clear sealants on murals . Return to the Table of Contents Murals Heads Up It is likely that other permits or variances are required from the City for projects in this section . For more information go here .