A Douglas Design District landmark gets a facelift

As so many Wichita businesses have been busy painting murals on the sides of their buildings, Spectrum Paint near Douglas and Grove has undertaken a different sort of project.

The business has restored the half-century-old spinning, lighted paint can on top of the building at 2310 E. Douglas.

“We thought it would be cool to do the paint can that a lot of people recognize,” says Gentry Stafford, vice president of marking and store development.

Stafford isn’t entirely sure of the can’s history —and she’d love to talk to anyone who is — but she has gotten some information from former employees and a previous owner.

Andrews Paint & Decorating Center, which later became Andrew Inc., opened in 1948 and likely installed the paint can in the mid-1960s. In 1984, the business moved to its current spot.

The sign has been refurbished a couple of times.

Spectrum bought the business three years ago and changed its name, though not the can bearing the Andrew name. Stafford says the idea was to let people to know the business was not radically changing.

“We were carrying on the same spirit that the store has always had.”

The can was looking dilapidated, though, and the rest of the building was getting updated so the can did, too.

Even with, of course, getting a deal on the paint, Stafford says, “It was a pretty big project to . . . revamp the store.”

The building has been repainted, and there are new window graphics, including a Wichita flag.

“I just think it’s a really cool flag, and I like the spirit of just the city and everyone being proud of that,” Stafford says.

She says part of the goal was to liven up the building, especially since the entrance is in the back, and the front can look dark.

“People had commented that it looked like we were closed,” Stafford says. “We really needed to kind of revamp that.”

There’s a new Douglas Design District logo in one window and some paint advertisements elsewhere.

There are also new awnings.

Instead of displaying the store’s name, the bright blue can advertises a Benjamin Moore paint.

“It still spins and lights up at night,” Stafford says.

There’s also a galactic mural with a prominent peace sign just down from the can. Even though it looks like its part of the Spectrum building, it’s actually a Design District mural that Stafford says is painted on Douglas Photographic Imaging’s building next door.

“But it does look cool.”

This story was originally published October 31, 2018 at 11:09 AM.