Help Bring 'Vivian's Dream' to Life on West Pearl Street

A mural project in the works is about halfway to the $35,000 fundraising goal, and you can help make it materialize on West Pearl Street with the purchase of a raffle ticket for a chance to win a mini-mural of your very own.

More on that in a minute.

Artist Barbara Andrews is prepared to painstakingly reproduce a 40-by-35-foot full color recreation of the Tremont Hotel on the wall facing the parking lot of TD Bank near the corner of Main and West Pearl.

It is an undertaking of actual enormous proportions, buoyed by the collective dedication to public art of those who have conceptualized this project and are determined to see it through, City Arts Nashua. 

Naming the project "Vivian's Dream" provides a history lesson in and of itself, one that longtime Nashua resident Philip Walker loves to talk about.

His mother, Vivian Walker, is the inspiration for the mural, which will be painted on the side of the building where Vivian's original dream, her fine clothing store, was for 55 years the hub of the city's downtown.

"A large part of my life has revolved around that building and that street," said Walker, a lawyer by profession, who's contract work in legal development often takes him abroad.

Coming home, however, never gets old.

"That whole street is a landmark for downtown Nashua. It's one of the prettiest streets in the downtown, with some of the nicest shops. My mom was a fixture on that street for 50 years, and so the project is a lovely tribute and memorial to her," Walker said.

Vivian Walker was 84 when she died in Sept. 2011, having worked hard for more than half a century in Nashua, earning her legacy as the storied owner of the tres chic Vivian's on West Pearl.

"If you ever knew my mother, the one thing she'd always say to you was that West Pearl Street was like a little Newbury Street in Boston. What she meant by that is that it was a lively street of commerce and where people would meet, and congregate – where some of the best shops could be found. Her clothes were cutting edge fashion. She was always going to New York City, bringing back clothes with specific customers in mind," Walker said.

Nashua is still a gem, says Walker, and downton Nashua in particular still has much to offer.

"I'm always amazed at what there is – you can find all kinds of shops that run the gamut, from high end to eclectic. And in terms of night life or dining out, nashua is a magnet for the whole area. People will drive in from the suburbs or other cities to eat out here, go dancing, take in live music. I think that's something we need to build on," Walker said.  

He sees the Broad Street Parkway as one of the driving factors for growth in the next 10 years. 

"It will come right into the back of West Pearl Street, and it opens up opportunities in the mill area, and will makes easy access to downtown and parking right off School and Elm streets. I feel it's going to help revive the downtown greatly," Walker said.

For "Vivian's Dream" to become a reality, City Arts Nashua has been fundraising through various creative events. Currently, the public has a chance to bid on a piece of history in the making – Andrews, the mural artist, has donated a 3-by-four foot miniature reproduction of the proposed mural scene, which will be auctioned off to raise funds for the project.

You can see the painting on display in the front window of Twill at 100 Main Street.  Tickets are $25 each and only 100 will be sold.  They are available Dec. 7 at Bonnie Guercio's studio in the Picker Building, 99 Factory St. Ext. during the Picker Building Open Studios, 12-5 p.m. or also at: Twill and Beckonings on Main Street; Birch Nashua on Amherst Street; Jeannotte’s Market on Courtland and Manchester Streets; and Elizabeth Grady on the south end next to the AMC Cinema complex. Or, you can purchase online by CLICKING HERE.

The winner's name will be drawn at noon on December 17 in Bonnie Guercio’s studio at the Picker Building, 99 Factory Street Ext. 

"Mum loved that street to death. My whole family has been 100 percent committed to the economic health of Nashua and that street in particular. When someone floated the idea of a mural, we jumped on the bandwagon immediately," Walker said.

"Not only is it a fitting tribute, but I expect it will become a tourist attraction in its own right – we're talking about a piece of public art on a monumental scale that will be visible from the crossroad of Main and West Pearl," Walker said. "Our intention is to illuminate it at night so it's readily apparent. I'd like for it to be talked about. I'd like it to be a tribute, not just to mum, but to the place she loved so much during her lifetime."

About the Mural: In the 19th century, West Pearl Street was the commercial center of Nashua and became a thriving business area, home to many businesses started by Greek immigrants who originally came to Nashua to work in the mills. Until hotels were built around Railroad Square, the Tremont Hotel  was the “place to stay” in Nashua.

A plaque recognizing all the donors and explaining the historical significance of the mural will be mounted at eye level under the mural. All donations from businesses, organizations and individuals are appreciated and are tax deductible.

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City Arts Nashua would like to thank those who have generously donated to the mural project:

• Walker Family Trust
• Meri and Charles Goyette Foundation
• Robert and Judith Carlson

• Alan Manoian
• Angie D’Anjou
• Jacki Joy Ponsart
• Thomas and Tracy Pappas
• Colleen Costello
• Ikebana Flower
• Yvonne and Gary Dunetz
• Lowell Five Cent Savings Bank
• Nashua Historical Society
• Ramona Nault
• Michael Longrider Ponsart
• Joanne Ouellette
• Nashua Area Artists Association
• Lisa Lanfair
• Robert and Marjorie Hogan
• Nashua Radisson Hotel
• Nashua Community Music School
• Pam Purvis and Bob Ackerman
• Darrell's Music Hall
• Lawrence Daddario
• Chris Williams
• Meri Goyette
• Symphony NH
• Mike and Diane LoRe
• Ken and Pat Bernini
• Actorsingers
• Peacock Players
• Art With a Splash
• Trustees of Hunt Memorial Building
• Holly Klump