AS A 1970s ERA TEEN, I painted my basement bedroom a vivid lime green.
That vivid house in Lansing. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
Would I paint my house that psychedelic hue? No. But someone in Lansing, north of Austin, did as seen in this photograph I shot several years ago. Would you dare brush this green onto your abode?
In 2009, the owner of Los 3 Reyes Bakery painted his rented building in a vivid green shade that some neighboring business owners deemed unsuitable for historic downtown Faribault. The objectors approached Mariano Perez and asked him to repaint his bakery exterior. When he told them he couldn’t afford to repaint a building he’d just painted, they pooled their money to buy paint.
Now you might think that was a kind gesture. I don’t see it that way. To this day I wonder why Perez was shoehorned (or whatever word you want to use) into changing his building color to a softer gray-green. At the time, I interviewed Perez and he told me the bright green represented a “happy color” common in his native Mexico and his culture. Click here to read my interview with Perez, who no longer owns the bakery.
That bakery story came rushing back today as I sorted through photo files searching for bright-colored buildings I’ve photographed through the years. I intended to publish a post that would add a jolt of color to a wintry January day in Minnesota.
But then I started thinking about that bakery and about why buildings are painted the colors they are and if we have any right to tell a property owner what color he/she can/can’t paint a building.
Perhaps a color is chosen based on personal preferences. Remember that lime green bedroom of mine? I doubt my mom really liked the color, but she didn’t demand I paint the walls pink.
The NAPA store in Fergus Falls. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
Perhaps a color connects to the identity of a business as in NAPA Auto Parts’ signature blue and gold. My husband works for NAPA and he will tell you just how much I dislike that strong, strong blue. Dislike is a toned-down version of my actual opinion. You can bet that you won’t miss a NAPA store in Any Town, USA. And that’s exactly as the company intends.
Perhaps a color relates to culture as in the case of the Mexican bakery.
Whatever the reasons, I view paint color as mostly a matter of personal choice.
However, I will agree that, in certain contexts, color guidelines are necessary to retain the character of a historic district. That was the argument in the bakery situation and for months the subject of debate among locals and the Faribault Heritage Preservation Commission. I can’t even honestly tell you what they finally decided. Bakery owner Perez was not, at the time, violating any type of guidelines.
What are your thoughts on building colors?
Just to get the conversation going, here are several more examples of colorful buildings I’ve photographed in recent years.
Dad’s Good Stuff in New Richland. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
I grew up on a dairy farm and the color of the Calf Fiend in Redwood Falls reminds me of calves, but not in a positive way. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
It’s the trim on this building in Kenyon that caught my eye. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
The City Limits in Sleepy Eye. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Love all the different colors, I think a person should be able to paint whatever color they want as long as they keep the building maintained! I’m sure that lime green house really had the neighbors talking, I intend to go and read the post you did on that. Speaking of color remember the post I did in December with all the bright colored murals on the business walls? http://jackie000.blogspot.com/2012/12/so-much-better-than-brick-wall.html
Yes, I do remember your post on the murals, Jackie. Thanks for linking to it. Readers, you HAVE to see these murals, so please click on the link.
We have murals in downtown Faribault also, but they are historical in nature, thus are done in more subdued colors.
The bakery color was a hot button topic in Faribault for quite some time and stirred up a lot of controversy. That’s not always a bad thing. It’s good for a community to talk.
There are too many “rules” in some places about colors—I agree. One place we lived there was a big brew haha about a playhouse that was painted pink that did not abide by the covenants of the neighborhood. It was bordering on ridiculous and it was in the back yard for crying out loud!!!! There are some colors that you just associate with certain things—like Carolina blue that makes me happy whenever I see it. Happy Wednesday, Audrey! Keeping my fingers crossed I will see you tonight!
Speaking of backyards, some neighborhoods ban outdoor clotheslines. Now that one really got me. I could never live in such a neighborhood. Where would I dry my clothes?
Yes, our world today seems to have lots of “rules,” and more and more all the time. Many are necessary, of course. But many are not. And too many “rules” scare me.
I’ll be in touch with you about this evening.
We lived in a town home association for awhile. They had a rule for everything except granting each other privacy.
Once again, I appreciate your humorous twist on the topic. But not really funny at all if you have to abide by so many rules.
Wow, I really have trouble understanding the people who pushed the bakery owner to repaint. If he wasn’t violating any ordinances, that just seems small-minded. There is historical preservation, which is entirely appropriate for major historical sites, and there is the blending of history with the vibrancy of whatever community has evolved. You can probably guess where I fall.
Color is a personal preference that generally doesn’t damage the health and well-being of others. I really wish people would loosen up about what color the exterior of a house should be. When I’ve traveled in other countries, I’ve been delighted by bright colors and cheerful exteriors. As long as a property is maintained, which does affect the community, then color should be a personal choice.
You have stated it well, Kathleen, so well.
I remember your eye blasting walls of lime green, rainbow hued carpet and sunny smiley face bullentin board!!!! Audrey also had a shiney square purse of lime green. Not that I ever got to borrow it.
Most people know when you see Bachmans purple or Napas blue what the building is. Bachmans puts so much into color that their vans, bags etc are all the same color. So I vote if you are a business you can paint it the color you want. That said I sure hope no one paints their home a weird color next to my home. We already have a giant (bill board size-free standing) solar panel in the neighbors yard.
Ha, ha, sister. And I still have that lovely lime green purse, which I retrieved from the dress-up box at Mom’s house a number of years ago. That purse is vintage chic. I thought I posted about it, but perhaps not. Time to dig the purse out of the closet and show you all.
Yes, my basement bedroom was quite early 70s decor, although I will not say anything really looked good together. Oh, how I wish I still had that yellow smiley face bulletin board.
When I was a teenager, I got my dad to paint my bedroom a deep dusty pink. They even put in dusty pink carpet! I loved it. I had an antique walnut bed with a white coverlet and white curtains. I feel certain my parents thought the heavily pink room was a step up from the red crushed velvet bedspread, black furniture and red and black drapes I had before that. My parents obviously were very open minded about letting us decorate our room any way we wanted. I never really appreciated that at the time.
Today I opt for subtle colors both inside and outside. Our house is a soft yellow. Our neighbor’s house is much brighter. We came home from vacation one year to find that the misty, moody blue and gray house next door had turned into an orangey red the color of Campbell’s tomato soup on the second floor with a green first floor. It took me a while to get used to it, but I like it just fine now. I think people should paint buildings whatever color makes them happy. Heck, it’s only paint!
My home is painted in more subdued, natural hues also because those are the colors that I now prefer, as opposed to the lime green of my youth. I still like lime green, just not on my walls.
Yup, it’s just paint.
In the traditional Finnish communities of Minnesota you would see some homes in very bright and odd colors, or if not the house, then the doors. I think that is dying out. For one thing everything comes pre-painted. How did we come to have every house less than 15 years old in the same three colors. I bike ride through the new neighborhoods here. BORING.
Yeah, and I always wonder how residents in these homogeneous house neighborhoods remember which house is theirs.
Yes, my daughter and I call those newer developments taupevilles. Every house seems to be some variant on taupe and beige.
Taupeville seems to be a fitting name.
I think there is a fine line between eye catching and eye sore. Have a Great One:)
True. And who draws that line and why?
I will have to admit that I haven’t read all the above comments but here are my thoughts: we ‘choose’ to buy the house/building we do meaning that there are others who were there, in the area, before us and, yes, we have the “freedom” to paint with a chosen color but is there not a responsibility to be courteous/respectful of the others? If there are established neighborhood guidelines and the purchase is made anyway, we have agreed to abide by them (by virtue of the completed purchase). Freedom never equals license! Sensitivity must always be paramount when approaching the one who “offends”, however, as they may be truly unaware of the strong feelings created. Just sayin’………..blessings…….
You are right, if such guidelines/rules have been established.
The issue with the bakery probably was not handled in the best manner and became an especially sensitive issue given the bakery operator was an Hispanic businessman and one of those leading the efforts for a new paint color was a local banker.
Where did “common sense” communication fly off to? I do remember growing up with and elderly Italian couple next door and the other neighbors just kinda stayed clear. Language was a huge barrier but my folks and us kids seem to do just fine (just be sure to stay off their lawn!!!! LOL!)
Common sense does seem to be lacking in today’s society, for sure.
What fun it would have been to have Italian neighbors. What people don’t understand, they seem to fear.