The Inspiration Mural is a distinctive part of Downtown State College, telling some of the most powerful stories of the people of the Nittany Valley in a visual way. As downtown continues to change and transform, the aesthetic and cultural value of the Inspiration Mural will only grow as an important means for Penn Staters, townspeople, and visitors to understand some of our shared stories across time.

An aesthetic thorn for the Inspiration Mural has been an unattractive, slowly rusting USPS mailbox. It has sat for years directly in front of the most iconic part of the Inspiration Mural—the section featuring Coach Paterno. Its placement makes it nearly impossible to take a photo of the entire Inspiration Mural directly from the front. It just detracts from this unique downtown spot, and would limit public appreciation of the space.

It won’t be there much longer. A friend had reached out to the State College Borough about moving it, and got word yesterday that the postal service has agreed to move it. It’s a small thing that will help the Inspiration Mural be a more distinctive part of the State College landscape.

Getting the little things right helps make the big things even bigger.