OKANOGAN, Wash. — The couple that found a 60-foot old mural when they started remodeling the interior of an Okanogan historic building shared how they found the mural and the plans they have to preserve it.
Nick and Lisa Timm purchased the building at the end of 2021 to turn it into a bar. When they decided to start cleaning out the walls, they found more than 100 years of history.
Nick said he got curious about what was behind the walls after he picked one of the faux columns and started pulling things away. That was when he found part of the mural.
"So we started pulling things away and we found this segment first right behind us exposed most of this wall and then one of my guys was like 'Hey I think there might be another painting on the wall behind us,' " Nick said. "And I said no, no, no, there's no way. And sure enough there's another 60-foot painting."
Lisa Timm said her husband called her about the huge painting behind the walls. She didn't have any idea what he was talking about.
"That's when everything just started," Lisa said. "Everybody was coming in going 'we heard about this.' Small town word travels fast."
The painting is 60 feet long and 20 feet tall, and it spans both the northern and southern walls —portraying a big lake, a variety of trees and cabins.
There is much history behind the circa 1907 commercial building where the painting was found. It was first used as a play theater, then a movie theater and then transformed into different shops throughout the years. These included a butcher shop, a grocery store, a feed store, a house of draperies and a bank.
Former Spokane mayor and Okanogan native Carolyn Clayton, 90, said her father bought the building around 1939 and transformed it into a grocery store where she grew up and worked.
Clayton said she never noticed the historical painting hidden behind the walls, as they were covered with shelves, canned goods and wallboard at the time.
Since the Timms found the mural, finding the artist behind it has been a mystery as no signature was left behind.
First, it was believed the mural was painted by famed Western photographer Frank Matsura, who once played in the Okanogan County Band on stage at the venue.
After preliminary research, the Okanogan historical society found an article about the origin of the painting.
"A man name W.J. McConnon came from Wenatchee in the early 1900s and painted this, and it describes it perfectly: 120 feet of canvas, a landscape done in light tan," Nick Timm said.
The Timms said they want to preserve the painting and not to restore it or repaint it.
The couple first started a GoFundMe page on Jan. 25 when they found the mural to help with its restoration and preservation, which is estimated to cost more than $50,000. As of Wednesday afternoon, the page has raised more than $50,000.
The news about the mural's finding has made it to news outlets all over the U.S. Clayton said finding the mural in good condition has been a miracle, and since the finding, she has received countless calls from people who have seen the news all over the country.
The Timms said since the news about the mural spread around, it has been like a lightning bolt hit. Nick said many people have reached out saying they have shopped in the building when they were kids. Former owners have also reached out saying they used to own the house of draperies.
"It's just this outpouring of support from the community and the country at large at this point," Nick said.