The Town Turned Canvas
By Andy Johnstone Pratt's Place is no ordinary building. Its orange walls and baby-blue pinstripes glow against a backdrop of snow and gray sky.
A 5-foot, brightly colored “American Gothic”-style portrait of building owners Anne and Skip Pratt hangs on one wall. Above the portrait, two turquoise-purple-yellow faux dogs stare out across a parking lot.
Pratt's Place would stick out like a sore thumb in any other small town. But in Tannersville, it blends right in, thanks to a tourism-boosting effort called the Tannersville Paint Project.
Local artist and Peoria Emporium owner, Elena Agostinis, inspired this multicolored movement. She’s covered more 30 local buildings with bold ‘80s hues and Easter pastels.
The idea came to Agostinis when she painted her Tannersville home orange, adding more vibrant colors inside and out. Before long, the house began drawing visitors. As her home-turned-canvas became increasingly popular, she thought the village could use the same boost.
The mayor agreed, and in 2001 the project was underway. Agostinis teamed up with the Hunter Foundation, a local nonprofit aimed at community restoration, and began convincing local businesses to embrace her colorful vision.
“I'm from Africa, so color is not an issue with us,” Agostinis said. “It's not one of my fears.”
Though some locals asked that the colors be toned down, Tannersville's eccentrically painted downtown is anything but dull.
Poncho Villa's, a popular Mexican restaurant, is covered with orange, yellow, green and blue stripes. There's even an Andy Warhol-esque trashcan with “Tannersville” inscribed in lime green over a pink background near the fire station.
The project has spread beyond local businesses to homes, including one of Agostinis' favorites, a light blue riverside house with green and orange drapes painted on the shutters.
“It was so run down before,” she said of the riverside cottage. “Now it's a pleasure to look at.”
It didn't take long for Agostinis to get Tannersville the attention it sought. The New York Times and Ladies Home Journal both covered the project, while NBC's “The Today Show” and several Albany-area stations reported on the colorful town.
“It's been outrageously successful,” said Agostinis, who's been asked by other mayors how to recreate the project. Other residents agree, including one shopkeeper who said that the word of mouth alone brings visitors to the area.
While tourism is a major benefit, the project's effects have been far-reaching. One man, inspired by the project, recently purchased more than 10 local buildings for improvements and painting, and local business owners have livened their stores with color, Agostinis said. She even plans to write and illustrate a children's book about the experience.
As bright as Tannersville already is, Agostinis says that with help of the Hunter Foundation and Benjamin Moore, a paint company that sponsors the project, her work will continue.
“I can't even begin to tell you how positive it's been,” she said. “It's been a really rewarding experience.”
For more on Andy's trip to Tannersville, click here.