A faded tribute to President Franklin Roosevelt on the side of a Gainesville building which was painted there eleven years ago has been brought back to life by the artist after it fell victim to new construction.
GainesvilleNow recently posted this on Facebook about the project:
Many of you have asked about Gainesville’s beloved Good People mural, and we’ve got some updates from designer and artist of the mural, Louis Hokayem.
“A mural I painted (with help from Joey Summer) in my hometown in 2015 was recently covered up by new construction.
“When I visited the site for the last time I was reminded of how meaningful this project has been to me and my family for the past 10+ years.
“The design depicts President FDR and says the words ‘Good People of Gainesville.’ Words that were spoken by the President on March 23rd, 1938 to the citizens of Gainesville following the fifth deadliest tornado in American history in 1936.
“In his speech, FDR used the words to praise the community for how well they bounced back and rebuilt the city following the tragedy. The design was inspired by conversations that I had with my grandmother who survived the tornado in 1936.
“I am thankful for all of the encouragement to repaint the mural over the past year and I am excited to say that plans are in the works for scaled replication at a new location in downtown Gainesville!”
Stay tuned for updates about the mural and other Good People projects by following at @goodpeopleofgvl and @louishokayem