The Traverse City Arts Commission will host a ribbon cutting today (Tuesday) to commemorate the installation of a new public art project called Then & Now.

The project - created in conjunction with the Traverse Area Historical Society (TAHS) and the Traverse Area District Library (TADL) - will feature a series of plaques displaying photos from “then” next to the landscape of “now” at historically significant downtown locations. The photos were selected from Traverse City’s historical archive housed at TADL. Photographic restoration was provided by The Camera Shop, with the plaques fabricated by Britten Inc. The Arts Commission worked with TAHS on the historical content placed on each plaque. The ten featured locations include: Park Place Hotel, Fire Station on Cass Street, Milliken Building, Beadle Building, Front Street Streetscape, Parade Streetscape, Hannah Lay Building, Original Straub Brothers Candy Factory, Final Straub Brothers Candy Factory, and Union Street Bridge.

"The Traverse Area Historical Society which has promoting local history as a key goal, is excited to work with the Arts Commission on this project," says TAHS Board Vice President Fred Anderson. "We are always looking for new ways to better educate the public about the exciting local history of the area we all call home, and these plaques provide that opportunity."

The ribbon cutting will take place at 3:30pm at the Park Place Hotel plaque location (the north side of State Street across from the Park Place tower). The Then & Now project was funded through dollars from the Public Art Trust Fund and Downtown Traverse City Association.