Officials from Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and the City of Irving joined East Texas artist Odessa Helm and community stakeholders in unveiling the Irving Heritage Mural in a public ceremony. The event recognized the completion of a project that the city brought to fruition by partnering with DART. 

“Projects like the DART Student Art Contest and this mural, show that we believe art, communities and transit go together. But it takes everyone working together to bring a project of this magnitude to life,” said Dee Leggett, executive vice president and chief development officer at DART. 

“The Largest Space I’ve Ever Worked On” 

The mural, dubbed “Timeless” by Helm, is massive in scope, covering over 5,000 square feet on five concrete walls and encompasses a rail bridge. Spanning the length of a city block on a single side and located a five-minute walk from the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) Downtown Riving/Heritage Crossing Station, the artwork depicts scenes from Irving’s history through buildings, transportation means and people. 

Historical nods to Irving’s establishment in 1903 and the historic Rock Island Railroad, welcome passersby on one side of the newly painted rail bridge, while a log cabin and Irving residents from different generations share a laugh on the other side. There’s even a place for the perfect selfie, allowing visitors to make themselves the I in Irving while walking along the sidewalk and enjoy the art. 

The wall took six weeks to complete, incorporated 240 hours of painting as well as 42 gallons of paint and over a mile’s worth of blue painter’s tape. Helm said she enjoyed every minute of it and appreciated being welcomed into the community while she resided in Irving. 

“I’ve worked on lots of murals, but this is the largest space I’ve ever worked on,” said the artist. “I’m just grateful my selection was chosen. You know, there’s not many 5,000-square foot canvases around, so this was an amazing project to be a part of and I had a lot of fun working on it.”  

Irving Mayor and DART Board Member Rick Stopfer publicly thanked Irving residents and staff for putting all the work in to make the mural project a reality, DART for being a financial partner and Helm for bringing the idea to life. He likened the new mural to entryway, leading people into a castle, and lauded the team effort it took to complete it.  

“Timeless,” the Irving Heritage Mural can be enjoyed across the street from the Irving Police Department, located at 305 N. O’Conner Road. Visitors are encouraged to park at the TRE Downtown Irving/Heritage Crossing Station and follow the sidewalk south on O’Connor Road. TRE service runs from EBJ Union Station to Fort Worth T&P Station from 5:15 am to 12:15 am Monday through Saturday. For full schedule visit https://trinityrailwayexpress.org