41×17’ exterior mural designed for the facade of The Newberry Building on Harrison Avenue in Downtown Panama City. Installed in Winter 2026.

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When Kevin Wattenbarger approached me to refresh the front of his office space with new signage, I couldn’t help but dream a little bigger once I heard the history of this building!

The first business housed in this space was Newberry Optical, Panama City’s first-ever optical shop, headed by Dr. Grant T. Newberry. Countless folks stopped by to share stories of Dr. Grant while I was installing this mural, many recounting his kind nature and memorable experiences buying their first pair of glasses here.

In this grid-based design, I aimed to honor Dr. Grant’s contributions alongside other iconic locations, technologies, and natural elements that have shaped Panama City's history. The lettering seen throughout this mural was drawn from a 1930s sign-painting book, and the color palette was kept largely tonal to emulate black-and-white photography (but brought to life in bold new color!) I chose these warm yellows, ocean blues, and sunset reds to give the mural a nostalgic, postcard-like feel, and incorporated the lettering “Welcome to Downtown Panama City” to present this piece as both a celebration of our past and a warm invitation to the bustling Downtown of the present.

KIND WORDS

“What started as a simple idea, putting the Newberry Building’s name out there, became something truly extraordinary with Morgan Summers. A local business owner mentioned people didn’t recognize the building by name, which planted a seed: I wanted the building name hand-lettered. I knew Morgan was the perfect person. I came to her with just that, “Let's put the name on the building," but she expanded it into something beyond my imagination.

From our first communication to her design concepts, spatial ideas, and her artistic vision, the process was seamless. We faced a few hurdles along the way, but Morgan rolled with the punches and cleared every challenge effortlessly. Her professionalism, from design to scheduling to communication, was impeccable. When it came time to install the mural, she did a marvelous job. 

The end result? It’s 100% exceptional. We couldn't be happier having her work promoting the Newberry Building and adding vibrancy to downtown Panama City”

- Kevin Wattenbarger, CCIM, Five Bridges Real Estate Services

Credit to Lou Columbus Photography for the best of these photos— thanks so much, Lou!