Church Plans Mural at Quake Damage Site

Signs of damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake are still evident at First Presbyterian Church of North Hollywood, but beginning today, they will be accompanied by a more hopeful sight.

Volunteers will paint an 80-foot, Noah’s Ark-themed mural that will be mounted along a chain-link fence where the church’s 32-year-old sanctuary stood before the quake.

Church officials are planning to turn the former site of the sanctuary into a parking lot. Until that project is complete, they are looking to the mural to brighten the scenery.

“The neighborhood is probably saying, ‘I wonder what’s going to go on over there. They’ve got this vacant lot,’ ” said Marlene Aragon, a church member and mural organizer. “But this project is more a matter of ‘Look, we’re not dead. We’re very much alive.’ The church is not the sanctuary. The church is the spirit of the people.”

The mural is planned to run south along Colfax Avenue from Hesby to Addison streets. It will be painted on 4-by-8-foot sheets of plywood, which have been whitewashed and traced with animal shapes.

The use of plywood is somewhat unusual for a mural, but it is the most feasible way to add a touch of beauty to the site.

“We don’t really have a free wall,” Aragon said. “Plus, this way if it rains, we just take the mural inside.”

The church is at 5000 Colfax Ave. Anyone who wishes to volunteer can call (818) 766-8103 for more information.