Not many places have seen such dramatic shifts in image in the past few years as North 2nd Street in Northern Liberties. At first, it was a couple of restaurants that popped up unexpectedly, a boutique here and there, and then came Bart Blatstein with Liberties Walk and the fabulous Piazza at Schmidts.

Now, there is a stunning new addition greeting passersby as they survey the walls of Bell Floor Covering Co. on N. 2nd Street just below Germantown Avenue.

And to think, it started as a summer art class, in which four students and a professor got involved and created something beautiful.

"I like paintings you can step into - heroic-sized works," said artist Frank Hyder of his decision to get involved with murals. Hyder, a mixed-media artist and professor at Moore College of Art and Design, has also been a resident of Northern Liberties since 1977.

So, it was no wonder that when he was looking for a location for his class to paint their mural, he chose the neighborhood closest to his heart.

"My interest is in making big paintings that are interesting and dynamic and by way of that, making my neighborhood interesting and dynamic," said Hyder.

This isn't the first time he's put his touch on the sides on Northern Liberties' buildings. Last year, he was part of the team who painted the outside of Honey's Sit n' Eat at 4th and Fairmount. Hyder has also worked with the city's Mural Arts Program in projects across Philadelphia in addition to his personal art projects, shown in galleries around the world.

The students who signed up for the class - Lauren Bergrud, Shannon Toale and Courtney Mendenhall from Moore College, and Amanda Lewis, a local high school student - weren't told exactly what to expect.

"The class was listed just as 'Mural Arts' and it didn't give a lot of information. I was surprised it ended up being so much more. I learned so much more than simply how to make a mural," said Toale.

The students joined the project after Hyder had a designated spot for the mural, but as Toale said, they weren't shy about the effort it required. "Frank had prepared the entire thing: going through the long process of getting it approved, which is almost longer than the painting process itself."

In the beginning, Hyder had set out with a few spots in mind but, time and time, again, things just failed to pan out. "In the 11th hour, I approached Harvey Bell at Bell Flooring and he said, 'Sure, we could do it,'" explained Hyder.

Shortly afterward, work began back at the Moore studio at 20th and Race streets. Under Hyder's direction, the students painted the 30-by-16 foot mural on smaller pieces of unwoven textile, which when completed, were brought to the site of the mural, where the pieces were essentially glued to the wall.

"We couldn't see the whole entire cloth in the studio because the studio wasn't big enough. We tried putting it on the wall and we couldn't even unroll it all. So we didn't see the whole entire image put together until we glued it up on the actual wall," explained Bergrud.

On Aug. 3, the mural was complete. Bergrud and the other students were amazed at the first sight of what they had created. "When we took a step back and looked at it for the first time, it was just enormous. We had to back up really far to see it."

At first, the painting only went halfway up the wall to avoid covering the iconic Bell Floor Covering Presents sign. However, after it was up, the artists saw a need to cover the sign. Bell Flooring reluctantly agreed after a compromise was made to include the store's name in the outcome of the design.

The mural, the image of koi in an abstracted pond, seems more like a large-scale painting than a mural.

For Hyder, a mural is "an alternative to empty spots and voids in row homes. Really, the stucco finish on the sides of buildings, was never intended. The builders never would have left it that way. It's just a secondary thing."

So far, the response has been positive, from both Bell Flooring and the neighborhood, Hyder said.

Despite the fact that these muralists have yet to catch flak for their painting, Hyder said they are bracing for the backlash that often accompanies such public art projects.

It's a phenomenon Hyder finds it difficult to understand.

"Concrete walls with broken plaster marks and air conditioners hanging out the windows. Does that really look better than a painting?" he asked.

For now, Hyder and the others are just hoping that Moore College continues the program, as there is no word yet on whether future classes are in the works. Hyder thinks it seems likely.

"I thought it was a great success," he said. "We would be able to make neighborhoods more attractive, teach students who would be able to use the skills and create something positive.".