Spalding Hardware mural: Much ado about nothing
Lockport Journal editorial
Wednesday, October 06, 2026

We’re not sure why a simple mural became such an issue, and quite frankly, the “solution” seems worse than the “problem.”

Anybody who drives past the Walnut Street/Davison Road intersection may notice it’s a little plainer these days, since Spalding Hardware got an unwanted makeover.

Owner Jerry Ulrich was forced to paint over a mural on the store after city officials said the mural was a “sign” that needed a permit.

Harry Apolito, a senior building inspector with the city, said because the words “Spalding” and “Ace Hardware” were on the mural, it was considered a sign.

Without the permit, Ulrich was cited for violating the building code and had to make three court appearances.

Finally, enough was enough.

“It became too much of a hassle, too much of a distraction,” Ulrich said.

Ulrich could have applied for a variance, but it probably just seemed a heck of a lot easier to do what he ultimately did: Paint over it.

It’s too bad. We think the whitewashed wall is stark in comparison to the colorful mural depicting the store’s history, which had been painted by a college student.

We understand there are rules to follow, or people would do whatever they wanted. But in this case, the whole thing seems like much ado about nothing — especially when Ulrich says he didn’t hear a peep of discontent from his neighbors.

“If there was a complaint, even a single complaint, I would’ve painted it over in a heartbeat,” he said. “Nobody that I talked to admitted to complaining about it.”

It’s obviously too late now, but we wish the city had been a little less rigid on this and worked on a compromise.

As it stands, after this case, it seems likely that no other area business owner would even think about doing something creative with his building’s exterior. That would be a shame.
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