This Weekend, North Broad Renaissance Will Commission Artists to Transform Construction Fences into Stunning Murals
What if the chain-link fences surrounding vacant properties didn’t have to signal neglect? That’s the question North Broad Renaissance (NBR) has been answering, one mural at a time.
On Saturday, July 18 at 9 AM, NBR will unveil its second large-scale fence mural at Broad and Butler Streets — transforming the construction fencing surrounding an abandoned Checkers restaurant into a vibrant, block-long public canvas celebrating health, hope, and community pride. The artists behind the installation include Ydaly Mer, Michael Agwu, and other local talents whose work will be revealed to the public for the first time that morning.
The concept is as simple as it is powerful: rather than allowing long stretches of security fencing to reinforce perceptions of blight, NBR is reimagining these necessary barriers as opportunities to inspire, beautify, and tell the evolving story of North Broad. The Broad and Butler site — home to an abandoned fast food restaurant the community hopes will one day become a catalyst for new investment — is exactly the kind of space this initiative was built for. Until redevelopment begins, the mural ensures the property contributes something meaningful to the neighborhood rather than detracting from it.
