When Alyssa Key bought a two-story building on the corner of East First Street and North Main Street in Springfield just over a year ago, she envisioned a mural on the east wall of the more than 115-year-old structure.

"I thought it would be a nice addition to the neighborhood and allow visitors and locals to take pictures in front of it," she said. "Welcome murals are popping up all over the country and there should be one in Springfield, too."

On Friday, Key’s vision came to life as a "Welcome to Springfield" mural was unveiled at her property at 1101 N. Main St.

The mural features landmarks throughout the nearly 150-year-old community and was painted by Key’s longtime friend, artist Grant Thornton.

"I wanted someone who understood what a visitor coming into the neighborhood would want to see and Grant made it look like an old postcard, which is exactly what I was thinking," she said. "He nailed it."

Thornton, a former Jacksonville resident, said he drew inspiration for the mural from spending time in the Springfield area.

"After I got the letters up it was about spending time in the neighborhood and incorporating pieces of architecture that stood out and fit in the words," he said. "The first thing I noticed in the neighborhood were geese so I included silhouettes of them in the mural and then went from there."

Thornton said he incorporated his signature brightly colored style in the mural.

"My style of art is very bright and eye-catching so I used just about every color in the spectrum," he said. "The fact that the building faces downtown, I wanted it to burst out of the building and catch everybody’s attention."

Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council, Inc. , a nonprofit organization devoted to preservation and revitalization in the area, was also heavily involved in the mural.

Executive Director Christina Parrish said the organization wanted to use proceeds from PorchFest, which was held on Nov. 5 and featured more than 20 musicians playing on porches throughout Springfield, to create an art project in the neighborhood.

"Arts and culture helps the revitalization of the community, bring others into the neighborhood and creates a good environment while improving the quality of life for residents," she said. "We pledged that the proceeds that went over and beyond the cost of the event would be put back into programs that would focus on arts and culture in the community and a mural was one way to do that."

Another way SPAR is incorporating arts and culture into the community is through a free concert series, which will kick off in April and continue on the second Sunday of every month.

"We have lots of activities right in the neighborhood and we want to continue to provide those opportunities," Parrish said. "We have a real melting pot of people in Springfield and it’s like every neighborhood should be."

Parrish said that SPAR has an agreement with Key to maintain the mural and that it is not to be removed even if she sells the building in the future.

While Key’s building is vacant at the moment, she anticipates it will house several food and drink businesses on the ground level and residential lofts on the second floor in the next six to nine months.

"Springfield was always coming up but now it’s at a high point," she said. "It’s the logical place everyone is investing in and because it’s booming it needed a mural that represented that."

Key said she hopes the mural will stand the test of time.

"It’s so bright and perfect right now but the older it gets, the cooler it will look," she said. "I hope that it becomes a beacon and an icon of the neighborhood."

Ann Friedman: (904) 359-4619