Looking down the Russell Street alleyway between 5th Avenue Fashions and Sophisticated and Glamorous Fashions, the eye is treated to a rainbow of colorfully painted houses.

A mural of bright pastels - reds, hot pinks, yellows, blues and greens - with painted balconies, windows and doors could be dubbed Orangeburg's own "Rainbow Row" after the homes in Charleston's historic downtown.

"We took a picture of Rainbow Row and designed it to fit our area and needs," said Richard Smoak, who did most of the six-month paint work on the mural. "I have never tried anything like this ... but I wanted to make it nice for the patrons and shoppers downtown. It looks nicer and cleaner. We would like to see people come downtown."

Smoak, who has done set design work for the Orangeburg Part-Time Players, designed the mural with the help of Matt Quay, a former rock band member and performer with the OPTP.

Smoak said he was approached by Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association Executive Director Bernice Tribble and Edna Fischer, the past president, approximately a year ago about putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls. After some thought, however, the decision was made to do more than that.

Smoak said he used about 80 gallons of paint and put in many hours of work.

"I have received ... compliments on it," Smoak said. "The citizens seem to like it."

But the transformation work is not complete. A clear coat, the placement of lighting in the same style used for the downtown streetscape and a resurfacing of the alley still need to be done.

Smoak has designed a number of sets for the Orangeburg Part-Time Players, has been at the forefront of the Bluebird Theatre Restoration Committee and designed Orangeburg's New Year's millennium lighted ball.

Tribble said the restoration of the alleyway fulfills a long-desired goal of DORA to make the downtown area more inviting and to attract more people downtown.

"It has been an eyesore, and we thought the best thing to do is open it up and paint those scenes," she said. "We wanted to make people feel comfortable walking there. We want downtown to be more inviting and a beautiful place so people will want to come here."

"It has been a long time coming," Fischer said. "It was so ugly, and it was not being used. We came up with the idea that it could be fixed."

Fischer said she is pleased with the final product and is looking forward to installation of the lighting.

"I hope people will start using the back parking lot and start walking through it," she said.

The alley work is just one of several projects going on in the downtown district.

DORA has purchased the property between BrowseAbout Antiques N Accents at 1036 Broughton Street and the Ferse's 5&10 parking lot sign for additional downtown parking for the 1100 block of Broughton Street and Stevenson Auditorium.

The lot currently houses two long-vacant buildings - one at 1048 Broughton Street which was a discount/thrift store and the other a storage and furniture refurbishing store.

The buildings have boarded-up windows, cracking exteriors, decaying wood, peeling paint and overgrown grass along their foundations.

Tribble said the buildings will be torn down - after an asbestos check - to fill a need frequently expressed by downtown merchants, namely for downtown parking.

"It was an opportunity we did not want to miss," Tribble said. "Downtown merchants will tell you what is lacking is adequate parking. This is a good way to address parking."

Tribble said the property is being studied to determine the number of parking spaces the lot would provide. The space is projected to be open for parking in about a year.

The next $1.8 million phase of the Orangeburg streetscape project is scheduled to begin in the near future. The next phase includes Russell Street from Windsor Street down to Edisto Memorial Gardens and Middleton Street from Memorial Plaza to Amelia Street. The project will be funded through the capital penny sales tax and an enhancement grant.

Other downtown projects include:

• Renovation of the old fire station next to City Hall to become the new City Council chambers. The project will cost about $900,000. Projections are for the new chambers to be ready in February 2008.

• Upgrade of the courtyard and parking lot behind the fire station. Design work has already been completed, and this work will be done once the council chambers are completed, Orangeburg City Administrator John Yow said.

• Facade upgrades for Ferse 5&10, the Smoak's building, Palmetto Army Surplus and Orange Cut Rate Drug.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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