New Nicole Bourgea Mural Creates Colorful Story in Friendship Heights with Metro’s Art in Transit Program
Washington, DC, July 28, 2026 – The Friendship Heights Alliance welcomed three new cheetahs to the neighborhood this week as part of a colorful new mural by artist Nicole Bourgea on the Jenifer Street side of the former Lord & Taylor building. The mural was curated by Pipkin Creative and created in partnership with Metro (which owns the building) and its Art in Transit program. This is the Alliance’s second mural on the building, and both are the backdrop for new furniture, flowers, and other placemaking elements.
“As an artist who both grew up and currently works from a studio in close proximity to the mural site, I have witnessed the transformation of Friendship Heights over the years, and I was delighted to be chosen for this mural,” Bourgea said. “I can picture community members making plans to ‘meet up for coffee by the cheetahs’ or laughing together under the cheerful tulip forest in between errands in this evolving walkable urban environment.”
The artist put a lot of thought into the various components of the graphically stunning mural. Three majestic cheetahs representing the neighborhood’s past, present and future climb over a tulip-covered three-dimensional awning. The tulips represent the friendly tulip-centered brand of the Alliance, which highlights the neighborhood’s sophisticated history and immense future hope and opportunity.
This mural, visible from Western and Wisconsin Avenues and the new apartments at the Residences at Mazza, is created in partnership with Metro’s Art in Transit program. Art in Transit integrates public art into Metro's transit system to enrich the rider experience, celebrate local culture, and strengthen connections between people and place. Through temporary and permanent installations, the program transforms everyday journeys into opportunities for creativity, reflection, and community engagement.
“Friendship Heights is full of hidden gems, so we thought this location was a perfect spot to create a new one that’s not quite so hidden," said Natalie Avery, the organization’s Executive Director. “Having the existing awning also made this a perfect spot to install some more of our popular adirondack chairs and bistro tables, which invite neighborhood residents and visitors to sit, enjoy, and stay awhile.”
To learn more, read the full artist’s statement and information about six other neighborhood murals on the website.
About the Friendship Heights Alliance
The Friendship Heights Alliance envisions a more vibrant, dynamic, and inclusive future for Friendship Heights, with diversity in housing opportunities and retail experiences, and a people-friendly public realm. This place-focused nonprofit coordinates the community building needed to reinvigorate the entirety of Friendship Heights, serving the commercial corridor along Wisconsin Avenue from Oliver Street in Montgomery County, Maryland, to Fessenden Street NW in Washington, DC. The Alliance is a 501(c)6 nonprofit created in 2021 to focus on public space management and coordination; increase collaboration amongst property owners in both Maryland and Washington, DC, as development continues; promote the neighborhood; and engage with residents and businesses. The Alliance has organized nearly a dozen pop-ups throughout the neighborhood. Thanks to Clarion Partners for providing the space for this partnership with Transformer. To learn more, visit friendshipheights.com or follow @FriendshipHeightsAlliance.
About Metro
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), known as Metro, is the region’s leading public transportation provider, serving a population of approximately four million people across Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia within a 2,054-square-mile jurisdiction. With a network of six rail lines, 98 stations, 126 bus routes, and a door-to-door paratransit service, Metro is the second busiest transit system in the United States serving 268.9 million trips in 2025 with a $5 billion operating and capital budget. Since 2022, Metro has completed multiple transit-oriented development projects that have brought $15 million in tax revenue to the region from housing, office, and retail space in our community. Safety and security are core values at Metro. Over 30,000 cameras monitor the system, and Metro currently has the lowest crime rate in history with fare evasion on rail and bus declining. In 2025, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) named Metro the Transit Agency of the Year in recognition of industry-leading ridership growth, record high customer satisfaction, a newly redesigned Bus network, expanded rail service, and improved customer experience.
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Press contact: Rachel L. Davis, rachel@friendshipheights.com