Mysterious Paint Marks on Poughkeepsie Street Explained

The curious patterns of colorful paint on a City of Poughkeepsie roadway may be hard to make out today, but were once huge news in the Hudson Valley.

If you've driven down Pershing Avenue in Poughkeepsie recently, you may have noticed some strange patches of paint still clinging to the pavement. Those faded patches aren't from road construction or some old utility project. They're actually the remains of a giant piece of artwork that once stretched across the street.

Ten years ago, this section of Pershing Avenue became home to Poughkeepsie's first public street mural.

Poughkeepsie's First Street Mural

In June of 2016, Mill Street Loft invited members of the community to help transform a portion of Pershing Avenue into a giant piece of public art.

The project was held in conjunction with Poughkeepsie Open Studios, an annual event that invited the public to visit local artists and studios throughout the city.

On June 18, volunteers gathered outside Mill Street Loft and spent the day painting directly on Pershing Avenue. The finished mural was a huge, colorful design that covered the pavement and turned an otherwise ordinary city street into a piece of public art.

For years afterward, drivers traveling down Pershing Avenue actually drove right over the mural.

What Happened to the Pershing Avenue Mural?

Over the past decade, thousands of vehicles have driven over the mural. It's also been exposed to rain, snow, road salt, plows and ten Hudson Valley winters.

Today, most of the artwork has faded back into the pavement.

There are, however, still some colorful remnants scattered across Pershing Avenue. Unless you knew the mural was once there, you'd probably have no idea what those random patches of paint were supposed to be.

Old photos and Google Street View images show just how dramatic the difference is between what Pershing Avenue looks like today and what drivers saw ten years ago.

So, if you've recently driven down Pershing Avenue and wondered about those mysterious patches of faded paint, now you know. You're looking at what's left of a giant community art project that once turned a Poughkeepsie street into a colorful canvas.