Call to Artists — Route 3/State Street. One of Twelve Murals Planned for Semi-Quincentennial.
The Westerville History Museum and the City of Westerville invite artists to submit proposals for a mural that captures the transformation of State Street (Route 3), Westerville’s north-south artery, from a muddy footpath to a modern highway. This mural is part of the America 250 Westerville History Mural Project, commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
This mural will be one of nine works chosen from artist submissions that bring Westerville’s layered history to life.
The Route 3 / State Street mural will highlight the evolution of the main thoroughfare. From a plank road to a brick street and eventually part of the 3C Highway linking Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland. Along the way came the first interurban railway in the Columbus area, the city’s first traffic light, and one of Ohio’s strangest cars, the Scharf Gearless Motorcar, built in a downtown State Street garage in 1913.
Artists are encouraged to include imagery inspired by:
The muddy, rutted roads of early Westerville, where horses and wagons often got stuck.
Plank Road construction, with white oak and red beech planks laid by the Blendon Plank Company in the 1850s.
1895 construction of the Interurban Line, the first electric railway of its kind in the region, known as the “Green Line.”
The brick State Street of 1901, and early auto scenes of the 1920s.
The 3C Highway celebration in 1924 featured parades, fashion shows, speeches, and stunt pilots.
The Scharf Gearless Motorcar, a rare local invention with only two handmade prototypes.
Reference photos include horse-drawn wagons in early street conditions, the laying of Interurban tracks on State, and a brick-paved downtown filled with 1920s automobiles.
Artists can access all information, including reference materials, photos, and submission guidelines, through the RFP at https://www.visitwesterville.org/250-2/
Submissions are open through December 1, 2025. Selected artists will receive a $1,000 commission, with murals to be unveiled in 2026 as part of Westerville’s America 250 celebration.
The Westerville News is a reader-supported publication by Gary Gardiner, a lifelong journalist who believes hyper-local reporting is the future of news. This publication focuses exclusively on Westerville—its local news, influence on Central Ohio, and how surrounding areas shape the community.
Explore more hyper-local reporting by subscribing to The Hilliard Beacon, Civic Capacity, Marysville Matters, The Ohio Roundtable, Shelby News Reporter, This Week in Toledo, and Into the Morning by Krista Steele.
