Gateway signage and future mural will greet motorists entering downtown on Buffalo Street

By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw

WARSAW — A new mural will likely come together in the next few days and is part of an expanded gateway greeting to downtown Warsaw. 

The future artwork is being added to the south-facing wall of an office building at 220 South Buffalo St. that is owned by Angie Racolta, CEO and team owner of Encore Sotheby’s International Realty. 

Racolta worked with Main Street Warsaw on the art project to help cover the cost of the mural.

The entire wall has already been cleaned up with a new layer of white paint. Officials have not said what the artwork will feature or the name of the artist.

The project will be a little different than most murals since it will cover an existing window and door frame.

The improvements go hand-in-hand with the recent establishment of a cultural arts district in the downtown.

“Once I found out I was in the art district, I was super excited … I do like murals and art. So the fact that some of it’s going to be covered and I don’t have to pay 100% is nice too,” Racolta said.

“I just wanted a mural just to be a part of the cultural district,” she said.

That project coincides with the recent installation of a wrap-around sign across the upper portion on two sides of Racolta’s building that promotes the downtown with the phrase, ‘Make Your Way,’ and includes an image of the Kosciusko County Courthouse.

Cost of the sign was covered by Main Street Warsaw, and the new promotion was installed by Blue River Digital. 

“This is just one more avenue to call out the downtown and bring people down,” Racolta said.

Along with those images, motorists headed south on Buffalo will also encounter a massive mural further to the south that features two large ducks.

The duck mural was added six years ago by artist Tim Parsley.

Downtown Development Director Terry Sweeney said he believes all three elements work well together. 

“When you see the mural and the idea of ‘Make Your Way’ Downtown and the (other) mural that really highlights Warsaw, I think it will be seen as a southern gateway project,” Sweeney said.

More details will soon be released about the mural, which will be two-dimensional and continue onto the pavement.

Racolta said it will be interactive and set the stage for picture-taking.

Sweeney admits the area along the nearby railroad tracks to the south could benefit from a spruce-up.

“It doesn’t have the best aesthetics or provide a positive sense of arrival, so this is an area we’re really interested in,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney said they’re still moving forward with plans for a nearby fenced-in park just south of the railroad tracks even though hopes to secure funding for it through a state program fell through earlier this year.

Sweeney said he believes the park would attract families and add a positive impression to the immediate area.

He said Main Street Warsaw also plans to add two kiosks that will include a map and an outline of the arts district.

Racolta bought her property at 220 S. Buffalo in 2020 and then renovated it after the pandemic. Along with her real estate business, there is space for six other tenants.

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