Unknown [The Heart of the City]

The theme of the mural on this detached garage, painted by Joe C. Rock, relates to its location behind Marmot Properties, one of the foremost real estate development companies in Reno, particularly active in the Midtown area. The entire structure is painted bright green. On the front of the garage is the head of a person with their hair covering their face, their right hand cups the lower part of their face. Reno's downtown skyline comprises the top of the head with Mount Rose at its apex. A red and gold crown (a common object in Rock's murals) with a halo of barbed wire floats above the head. On the garage door, the words "The Heart of the City"(with a heart above the "i" in "city") are painted over the head in red with a neon-green outline. Pink hearts appear on the portion of the letters that extend past the head, and the portion covering the head is transparent, revealing imagery behind it. The door is framed by branches of sagebrush and the shadows they cast. "The Heart of the City" might symbolize the centrality of the Midtown district in the greater Reno area, both geographically and culturally. On the east-facing wall of the garage is a monochromatic scene of three marmots behind some plants with the words "Things Change" painted in white over the scene. A crown hangs over the "i" in "things." The words are transparent and reveal what is behind them, except the "thi" in "things," which reveal a house and fence. The marmots on this wall represent Marmot Properties, while "Things Change" and the house and fence scene contained in the "thi" gestures towards Marmot's role in transforming the area's landscape, demography and culture through their development activities.