Felton muralist William Northcutt and his crew of painters are approaching completion of a mural that details the early history of the intersection of Highway 9 and Felton Empire Grade Road in Felton.
The mural is on the wall of the now-vacant Century 21 office in Felton — formerly the Felton Hotel — which faces the Chevron gas station.
The mural was commissioned by George and Frances Baker, the owners of the building, to commemorate Frances’ uncle Nick Belardi, who owned that building and the church that become Felton Branch Library.
Belardi died in 1975, but it wasn’t until three years ago that Frances inherited the property from another relative. She had visited Felton many times as a young person, but had not been back since Belardi died.
“I saw a young man doing a beautiful mural in Boulder Creek and thought, why don’t we just have a mural of the old hotel as a tribute to my uncle,” Frances said.
Frances said that many people have given her the “thumbs up” as they drive past and compliment the work.
The mural shows the changing times in Felton, from a scene of the late 1800s to the façade of the 22-room Felton Hotel in the 1920s. It then transitions into a scene of Felton that includes the church and the gas station where Chevron now is on the corner of Felton Empire Grade and Highway 9 the 1950s.
The Felton Library is included in the mural because Belardi purchased the church and donated it to the library system as a memorial to his deceased first wife, Faye. Both Faye and Nick Belardi will eventually be painted into the picture with other family members, including Frances, arriving on a visit from their home in San Jose.
Northcutt said he is slowly working on the mural, amid other projects, and hopes to have it completed within two months. He is assisted by Yolanda Stabler of Felton and Carolyn Eyes of Santa Cruz.
