Escondido’s K-rail murals save businesses, boost community spirits, and lead to permanent outdoor dining
The city of Escondido won the 2021 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence in the Economic Development through the Arts category. For more information about the award program, visit www.helenputnam.org.
In the heart of Escondido, one of San Diego County’s oldest and largest cities, is a historic downtown full of small, independent businesses. When the state and county modified indoor dining and retail operations in response to COVID-19, most of these local businesses faced devastating financial losses. Stay-at-home orders changed what was a bustling downtown corridor full of residents and tourists into a ghost town overnight.
The city (population 151,038) recognized that it needed to adopt to support businesses on the brink of complete closure. City staff quickly realized they could support outdoor dining and retail by expanding sidewalks for on-street dining and retail.
One person’s K-rail is another’s blank canvas
Additionally, after state restrictions were eased, the Second Saturday Pop-up Art Walk resumed, which allowed makers to conduct outdoor retail sales on booths within the barriers. This event brought the community back together safely and allowed the art community to celebrate the painted barriers. Residents loved the sense of community the project created and the support it brought to business owners.
“Suzanne and the other artists at the Escondido Art Association did a beautiful job taking the vision of the individual business owners and transferring that vision to a concrete canvas in a personalized way,” said Downtown Business Association President Alex MacLachlan. “I saw a lot of positive responses on social media to what they did. The art brought out a certain amount of community pride.”
“Last year, we had dinner with a couple from Fallbrook,” he added. “Without solicitation, they told us about their recent trip to downtown Escondido and how they felt like they were dining outside in Europe. That was a very satisfying anecdote to hear.”
The K-rails are gone, but their effects remain
Although recent street improvements along Grand Avenue necessitated the removal of the K-rails, their effects can still be felt. The effort to expand sidewalk dining, combined with artists volunteering to bring beauty to something utilitarian, brought additional attention to the downtown corridor when it needed it most. Business owners embraced outdoor dining and look forward to continuing outdoor operations permanently after sidewalk widening construction improvements along Grand Avenue are complete.
In addition to winning the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence, the project also earned accolades at the San Diego North County Economic Development Council’s annual award event, with the honor of an Excellence in Economic Development award.
Just as importantly, the “Beautify Escondido” project was an opportunity for residents and businesses to come together during one of the most collectively challenging times the city ever faced. The interactive art map remains active and serves as an important digital monument to when the community came together during a difficult time.
Jennifer Schoeneck is the deputy director of economic development for the city of Escondido. She can be reached at (760) 839-4587or jschoeneck@escondido.org. Watch this video for a brief overview of the project.