About 10 years ago, there was a successful and productive project called The Church Street Mural Project. The mural project adorned walls up and down Church Street, from the south-facing wall of The Marquis of Granby pub (now defunct) to the northernmost mural on the 519 Church Street Community Centre.

The Church Street Mural Project involved the participation of 25 artists and was a key part of the community’s preparation for the massive World Pride 2014 festivities that year. One of my favourite murals from that project is a massive piece entitled Ultra Church: 50 VIP Party People – 1948-2014, produced by artist Lily Butter of Butter Land Studio. The mural is 90-feet long and runs down a laneway (recently dubbed Dapper Lane) behind the jumble of stores at 568 Church Street. The mural contains dozens of portraits of people who have been integral in the LGBT party scene over the past 60 years.

The mural is still there at this location, but it is now very faded and fragmented, and soon (or so we’ve been told) this block of old stores will be pulled down to make way for more condos, taking the mural with it. I’m glad I took these shots when I did as the mural was still very vibrant then and still reflected the vibrancy of our community.