Plan in works to save Franklin murals

A local artist will inspect deteriorating murals located on a building at the corner of South Main and East Sixth streets to determine what would be required to repair them.

The murals, which are painted on the side and rear of a former dry cleaners at the corner of South Main and East Sixth streets, were created by Franklin artist Eric Henn more than 12 years ago. One of the murals is called "The Five Modes of Transportation" and depicts Franklin's transportation heritage. The other mural on the rear of the building is the Ohio Bicentennial logo.

A councilman and local business owners are calling for the city to repair the murals, saying the money spent to repair them would be worth the community pride they convey.

Franklin City Manager Sonny Lewis said he has contacted Henn, who will take a look at the deteriorating murals on the former Parker Dry Cleaning building.

Lewis said Henn has several projects underway but could be back to Franklin in the next few weeks to determine what will be needed to repair the murals.

He said both murals have been touched up before and is confident they both can be restored along with a setting up a future maintenance schedule about every five to seven years to touch up the murals.

There are murals inside and outside of several buildings in Franklin and have become a focal point for tourists, officials said.

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