Oldest Firm’s Murals Bring Past to Life

As family proprietors of the oldest business in Orange County, the owners of Buena Park Lumber & Hardware acknowledge a duty to history that goes well beyond the profit margin.

Patrons of the store already are familiar with the antiques, carvings, train memorabilia and lanterns decorating the 22,000-square-foot building at 6586 Beach Blvd. Now they can soak in the vibrant colors of three huge murals depicting early life among the county’s orange groves.

“It’s living history,” said John Nelson, president of the company founded in 1904 by his great-grandfather, Arni Nelson. “When something has been around this long, it takes on a life of its own.”

Although 2004 is still some years away, the Nelsons decided to prepare for the store’s 100th birthday with the addition of the murals, painted by Costa Mesa-based artist Joe Gerard. The artist based the scenes largely on orange crate labels.

“A lot of us here remember the smudge pots and orange groves and all of that history,” Nelson said. “What better way to reflect all that than some large murals?”

Nelson, 42, said he was tempted to pick up a brush himself and attack the huge, empty wall. He earned a master’s degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland in 1979 and then worked as a studio artist and college teacher until 1984.

By then, the pull of the family business, and its history, was too much. “There was a need in the family for my assistance,” he said.

He and his family invite visitors and residents to take in the artwork--whether or not they buy any planks or nails.

“It’s really quite stunning,” Nelson said of the oranges, cowboys and locomotives on his walls.