A Lakes Region mural lives on

LACONIA — Local artist Larry Frates calls his mural the "Alpha and Omega," meaning the first and the last. He is referring to a beautiful mural of Lake Winnipesaukee he painted in the 1980s for CJ Avery’s restaurant in Lakeport.

“The mural was one of four I did at the time,” Frates explains. The other three murals have been lost to time for one reason or another, but luckily the CJ Avery's mural remains and now hangs in Laconia City Hall for all to view.

The mural Frates painted for a wall at CJ Avery’s hung in the restaurant for many years and was enjoyed by customers who dined there. One of those customers was so impressed with the mural that he wanted one for his home and commissioned Frates to paint something similar. With the passage of the years, no one seems to know where the mural might have ended up. Another restaurant owner asked Frates to paint a mural scene for his establishment and it too, has been lost.

Thus, one can see why the remaining mural is Frates' alpha and omega, the first and last in the memory of many who dined at the former CJ Avery's. The mural originally hung above a table at CJ Avery’s but was later moved to a spot near the restaurant’s hostess station.

When the building was recently purchased, the mural was still on the wall. Jill Desruisseaux, a Laconia resident and relative of Chip Avery, was familiar with the mural, and recognized its historical significance.

“I talked with Larry Frates about the mural, and we agreed it should be saved, if possible," she says. "My uncle Chip [Avery] also wanted to save it, and he donated the mural to the Laconia Historical and Museum Society.”

“I started the restaurant in 1984,” Avery explains. “Back then, Larry Frates was a customer, and we were talking about a wall space I wanted to fill in the restaurant. That is how the mural came about. When I closed the restaurant in 2021, I took the mural down with the intention of giving it to the historical society. I liked the mural because, to me, it is what this area is about.”

Although now the property of the historical society, there is little room to store such a large piece of art in their collection.

“The historical society felt it was an important piece of artwork," said Tara Shore, the society's president. "We were very interested in the mural; it was a donation of the Avery and Desruisseaux families and is now on loan to Laconia City Hall and will be hanging there for as long as they want it.

“A plaque is planned to hang beside the mural. It will be donated by the Laconia Historical and Museum Society, with Frates providing information for the plaque in memory of Chip and his late wife, Jane Avery, and the Desruisseaux family,” Shore explained.

To save the mural, space had to be found for it to be stored during the search for a display location. Desruisseaux generously agreed to keep the mural at her home, and it was moved there temporarily.

Knowing the painting was in safe hands with Desruisseaux, Frates began to search for an appropriate wall space for the mural. Eventually, Nancy Brown, assistant to the City Manager, suggested a spot in City Hall for the 4-by-8-foot mural. Laconia Parks and Recreation staff transported the painting from Desruisseaux’s home to City Hall. Once hung in its new location, Frates was happy to see the mural was in amazingly good condition.

“I cleaned it and retouched just a few spots,” he said.

Frates was an art teacher in Gilford when he painted the mural. Chip Avery approached him with an idea for the mural, specifying it be of the Lakes Region. With that criterion in mind, Frates went to work on the large mural.

As he gazes at the painting, now hanging in the first-floor lobby area of City Hall, Frates points to Mount Washington, among other mountains, seen far in the distance. The mural has something for every lover of the Lakes Region in an array of colors and scenic beauty.

City Hall employees like the mural, and a few who work in an office down the hall joke they wish it had been placed directly where they work so they could gaze at it all day. Others enjoy a vision of the Lakes Region as they pass by.

Frates is philosophical about the mural and the others that may have been lost to time. He understands that with the passage of years and changes in a building, murals such as the four he once painted are sometimes removed. It is his hope the lost scenes are still in existence, and he would like to know, just out of curiosity, if any of the murals are still around.

As artist-in-residence at the Belknap Mill in downtown Laconia, Frates now and then stops at the nearby City Hall to see the beautiful mural he painted all those years ago. It radiates the best of the Lakes Region with its blue sky, expanse of mountains and of course, the gem of the area, the lake.

Shore sees the mural as an important part of the history of Lakeport. For those who once dined regularly at CJ Avery’s and are familiar with the mural, or those who know Frates the artist, the painting is indeed important. It evokes the past but will be a part of the Lakes Region for many years to come, no matter where it is displayed.

To see the mural, visit Laconia City Hall at 45 Beacon St. East; the painting hangs on the first floor.

Frates would like to know if the other murals are still in existence, perhaps being enjoyed by someone these many years later. Anyone who may know the location of the lost murals in the series can call him at the Belknap Mill at 603-524-8813.