I wanted to take a break on this Friday from the study of murals and talk about one of my favorite mural experiences. This was a project that started out as an idea and is now in history as the “Legacy Tower”.
The Legacy Tower stands tall on Fort Myers Beach in the Time Square area. This icon was the last thing standing after Hurricane Ian devastated the island on September 28th, 2022, from what used to be an elevator shaft attached to a surf shop.
I got to be apart of the creation of the Legacy Tower and it is to this day the most meaningful piece I have done yet.
Hurricane Ian Sep. 28 2022, Credits to NASA Earth Observatory
Fort Myers, FL is the town North from my hometown Bonita Springs. I lived in Fort Myers during the hurricane with my 2 month old daughter. We were fortunate enough to not lose our home but we did have to survive with limited resources for two weeks. Our home had no electricity, our water was unsafe to use, and there were peoples pets and strays coming in and out of our home constantly. The only stores that were open were giving supplies away for free but it was hard to get there as the roads were hectic and there weren’t working street lights. I had the Army dropping off diapers and formula to my doorstep with food and water.
It was such a desperate and sad time in South West Florida. Even more so when you see the iconic places you grew up going to completely gone. It took Fort Myers a long time to get back on their feet and still are to this day but the love we all had for each other during this time was incredible.
Photo Credits to Chris Primeau
Fast forward 10 months later and I met Chris. The owner of the elevator shaft on Fort Myers Beach. Chris Primeau’s family has owned the property where the Legacy Tower stands for over 40 years. His parents bought it as a retail shop in the 80’s and overtime turned it into their own personalized surf shop that they redesigned. The elevator shaft was built when they added 3 stories to the building. It was such a beautiful fix up at the time that it got a “Beautification Award”.
It was a surf shop with a small restaurant called “La Ola” attached to it for years until Hurricane Ian took everything away.
Chris had two choices after the hurricane and that was to either fix it up or tear it down. Chris stated “I just couldn’t look at the devastation anymore. Our property was so ugly and there was debris everywhere. Then I thought about restoring it and someone gave me the idea to put murals on it so thats what I did”.
Before reconstruction
After reconstruction
Someone had referred me to Chris once he posted an inquiry about painting a mural on the tower. He called me and we clicked with ideas and a friendship from the beginning. This mural I planned to donate, no questions asked. Together we designed what would go up on the elevator shaft on two of the walls. The other two walls were being donated by another local artist Lacy McClary. Lacy was a victim of the hurricane also, losing her art studio and her home in the storm. So her passion for wanting to donate this piece to our town was just as easy of a decision for her as it was for me.
Lacy describes her side as so, “The seahorse side is a symbol of hope and protection to our island. Seahorses were considered good luck, protection, and resilience for sailors. The hearts are to give back love to our locals. The sailboat side is to honor AJ Bassett that grew up on Fort Myers Beach from 5 years old till 88. She and her twin sister are in the boat that is on the tower. The dates in the sail represent their love for FMB and the date of the hurricane. They loved FMB very much and so do I. The sailboat side of the tower is to basically watch over the waters and our little island thats to shine on with resilience after this tough year”.
Lacy McClary’s images
My side of the elevator shaft I wanted to show what once was, Fort Myers Beach with our old pier. The pier I used to jump off as a kid. Although I was eventually fined for that in high school during my rebellious days.
WGCU credits
I included the sunset which is iconic here in South Florida. A shrimp boat, which are well known to be seen around Fort Myers Beach and all over the Gulf of Mexico, were stacked on top of each other after the storm. An American flag because this is our country and we should be proud of it. It was us who stood together and came together after the hurricane and that is very special to me. A moon in which aligns us all. Last, but not least hatching sea turtles. These turtles represent all of the lives lost on the island during the hurricane.
News Press credits
This being said, the entire tower has special meaning all throughout it.
I will never forget working on a lift all day in the sun and coming down for water and a woman standing there crying. The movement I felt. The impact of emotion from her and knowing what that felt like made all of the hard work beyond worth it. There are still people to this day that will come up to me crying and thanking me for what I did for the island and that in itself is unexplainable when it comes to how I feel.
After Lacy and I finished the tower it was the talk of the town for months. During the process of it there were over 5 news casts that came to interview us, the news press, and other influencers. It was all over the radio and everywhere I went someone would say something to me because they would see my business on the back of my car or just from my profile.
Credit to News Press
From that day on, the “Legacy Tower” was born. A tower in the middle of what used to be the main area. Something you can see from your hotel rooms, walking down the beach, sitting at a bar, or even from the gulf while sitting on your boat. All sides glow from lights beaming on it when the sun starts to set.
It is a reminder of the strength and resilience of Fort Myers Beach. While also showing a community coming together to bring back such a loved town. This created many relationships with people all over including my friendships with Lacy and Chris.
After the project Lacy and I were donated $15,000 total so we could pay for supplies and be compensated for our time. Which wasn’t asked for but we appreciated every bit of it.
Please follow my journey by subscribing to my email list. Every 30 subscribers I do a drawing for a FREE PAINTING. I also share weekly the struggles and advantages of being a muralist and how to build a business doing it. Thank you all for reading and I hope you stay interested through future posts.
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