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YOUNGSTOWN — A newly unveiled, eye-catching downtown mural is intended to display and capture a variety of essences that, taken individually and together, define a large part of the city’s heartbeat, fabric and flow.

The artwork also serves as a vital and metaphorical rendering of how parts working together like a well-oiled machine can result in a cohesive, enduring and endearing whole, a city official contended.

“Each one of us has to do our part to make Youngstown a great city. … Each one of us, like these artists, has to do our part,” city Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, said.

Oliver was among those who braved 95-degree heat and humidity to attend the outdoor unveiling and celebration of the “America250: Layers of Legacy” mural during a news conference Friday afternoon at the vacant site where the former S.H. Kress & Co. building stood at 111 W. Federal St. The mural, which reads “Greetings from Youngstown, Ohio,” is on the west-facing exterior of the Purple Cat Disco Garden, 107 W. Federal St., which opened in November.

Pat McGlone, a local artist and 12-year city firefighter, created the outline of the 10 uppercase letters that spell “Youngstown,” then allowed the other three artists to add to three letters each their artistic ideas for topics that relate to the Mahoning Valley. For his part, McGlone designed the “T,” in which is a large pizza slice, a symbol of some of the city’s diverse food selections.

The other three artists who spent a few weeks designing and painting the mural are Willie Duck Jr., Christina Bunevich and Daniel Madeline.

McGlone told a crowd of several dozen he has undertaken several downtown art projects by himself, but that he was happy to collaborate with the other three on the mural.

Each letter captures the contours of the Mahoning Valley’s past, present and aspirations for future life and culture, with elements unique to the area. Those include sports figures such as boxing legend Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and former Youngstown State University head football coach and president, and Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel in a single letter, Mill Creek MetroParks’ “Cinderella” Bridge and molten steel containers to denote the area’s burgeoning steel industry. Also shown are a rendering of Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, along with the Realty Tower and the Metropolitan Bank buildings downtown, each of which has its own letter.

The idea to create a mural that would represent the “overflowing” of local culture and diversity began to germinate in February, McGlone said.

He also thanked Duck, Madeline and Bunevich for helping to design the artwork, and for devoting their free time to finishing the project.

“It’s bringing along the beautification of Youngstown,” Bunevich said in her remarks Friday.

“My whole life is about art and what it represents,” Duck said, adding that he was happy to take on the work, despite occasional extreme weather.

The effort also has encouraged him to consider future city-related projects, Duck added.

David Labra, the city’s special events coordinator, noted that the downtown mural is a piece of public art, the likes of which has a unique way of allowing people to share common spaces, slow the pace of their lives and experience varying perspectives beyond their own. In addition, the artwork gives viewers a chance to “share that lens through different eyes,” while letting them further appreciate the area’s diversity, rich culture and heritage, he added.

The idea for the mural began a little more than a year ago, at which time 28 local artists expressed an interest in being part of it before the selection process was narrowed down to three, and shortly before the project gained traction, Nick Chretien, the Economic Action Group’s cofounder and executive director, said.

The EAG sponsored the mural effort, partnered with additional organizations, assisted with funding and organized the team, he noted. Chretien was unable Friday to provide a final cost estimate of the project.

The organization partners with a wide array of entities to build strong solutions to bring about long-term change. The EAG “sees a vibrant, fair and prosperous Mahoning Valley, where the partnerships and networks we support have transformed our communities into vibrant places where people want to live,” according to its vision statement.