Seaside Mural on Hotel Makes a Viral Splash on N. Oregon Coast

Published 07/09/2019 at 5:53 AM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Seaside, Oregon) – Driving along the well-known Holladay Drive in Seaside, after you’ve ditched 101 at the southern tip of the street, there are a lot of charming little buildings. Some with interesting colors, too. Yet one will jump out at you with practically neon shades: the brightly-colored Coast River Inn at Seaside, with a mural of bold tones and a whimsical look.

This little big town on the north Oregon coast is known for its history and its architecture, and increasingly its murals. Now it’s getting known for murals that combine both into a powerful visual punch. The somewhat woodsy and rustic Coast River Inn at Seaside is making a name for itself with its colorful painting of Lewis and Clark covering the street-facing side of the building, getting a bit of a buzz online.

Indeed, the mural has gone viral quite often, said Kaarina Vera, spokesman for the Seaside Lodging, LLC company, which owns the hotel and a few others along the Oregon coast. They’ve found it trending on social media, often on Instagram, as people snap selfies or portraits of their companions doing a variety of goofy things.

The painting, done by local artist Joseph Soller and his wife Sarah Louise, carries with it a hint of the Yellow Submarine cartoon movie by The Beatles. It depicts Lewis and Clark along what is a representation of the Prom, all in the midst of a gigantic sunset. One is riding a bike; the other is peering through a telescope. It doesn’t matter you can’t tell which is Meriweather and which is William. And no, it’s not historically accurate that one of the explorers is puttering around on a bike. But tell that to the kids having fun in front of the thing and then seeing themselves pop up on the internet in various places.

“When the company renovated the Coast River Inn at Seaside, they wanted to attract younger families with children, that younger segment of travelers,” Vera said. “The wall art is to help attract that market, but it also helps make Seaside look fun and art-focused.”

When they discovered it was something that could go viral, they put that to use.

Vera said the artwork was originally designed by both her and Stoller and together. Vera told Stoller more or less what she wanted and he realized Vera’s vision in a unique way.

“It’s an ode to Lewis and Clark, that pioneer spirit,” Vera said. “It’s kind of honoring them and their adventurousness. That’s what we wanted for our guests: we want them to explore Seaside. And we have the bikes for them to borrow, so it just made sense for them to be riding the bike.”

The viral aspect and the trending came as a delightful surprise. Vera said that wasn’t exactly what they had in mind: they simply wanted something unique from other hotels.

“We thought we could put up a mural, which are so very popular right now, because people love taking selfies. They like an interesting wall and interesting places. So we knew this would stand out because it’s so very colorful and that it would probably attract a lot of people.”

Families are big on photographing themselves with the wall, and it seems even dogs.

Then it started to go viral in a really pleasing manner: Vera and the company noticed the Seaside Visitors Bureau was starting to use it in their marketing efforts as well – a double-whammy of publicity meets artistic validation.

“It just goes with the city,” Vera said. “It works for the city too.” More photos below:

Website here. 800 South Holladay Drive. Seaside, Oregon. (503) 738-8474. Hotels in Seaside - Where to eat - Seaside Maps and Virtual Tours

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