Public art brings life to those third spaces and places that often get overlooked. They help to make places feel safe. It creates a purpose and sends a message that we are a vibrant community. This mural is presented by local artist, Sarah Garber. We extend our gratitude and appreciation to the Kazmaier Family, the Benzel Family, FirstEnergy, the Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation, and the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation for their financial support to make this art installation possible. Special thanks also to Pennsy Properties LLC for allowing access for the art installation.
Story below as published in the Altoona Mirror by William Kibler on October 8, 2025.
A theme of continuity ran through Tuesday’s dedication of a new mural on the Railroad Retirement building near the corner of 11th Avenue and 15th Street in downtown Altoona.
Painted by local artist and Clay Cup owner Sarah Garber, the 5-by-50-foot mural depicts Blair County’s beginnings among a network of old Native American trails, its development as a railroad hub and its planned future as the site of a network of recreational trails — Altoona moving from trail town to rail town to trail town again.
Garber’s art itself is a continuation of the art practiced by both her grandmothers: Jean Benn on her mother’s side is a watercolorist; while the late Mardell Garber on her father’s side painted billboards for Penn Advertising, devised the logo on the New Look Uniform & Embroidery building near the southern split of Valley View and Pleasant Valley Boulevard and created murals still visible in First Church of Christ and the Bellwood Antis Public Library.
ABCD worked with Garber on the basic themes, then gave her “full scope” to execute the project as she saw fit, according to Steve McKnight, CEO of the Blair Alliance for Business & Economic Growth, which now includes ABCD.
Continue reading the story from the Altoona Mirror here: https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2025/10/altoona-railroad-retirement-building-mural-dedicated/
