Twenty-seven years ago on December 17, 1996, residents of Clearwater, FL claimed to see something incredible on the side of a Florida office building. An unusual, stained-glass image  appeared on the side of the building, which many said looked like the outline of the Virgin Mary. The image was nearly 50 feet high and 20 feet wide. After local news stations picked up the story, skeptics and believers alike flocked to the building, which was referred to as “Our lady of Clearwater.” Skeptics claimed the image came from a distortion in the glass or a stain. Even the St. Petersburg Diocese told The Tampa Bay Times that “People should exercise a great deal of heavy skepticism,” and the image was a “naturally explained phenomenon.” But that didn’t stop visitors from coming. Within a few months of the image’s appearance, it is estimated over 500,000 people visited the site.

According to a Tampa Bay Times article in 2019 recalling the phenomena, “The city had to install portable restrooms and sidewalks, while police cracked down on illegal vendors trying to peddle merchandise to the visitors. Later, a nearby car wash would sell T-shirts bearing a photograph of the window for $9.99.” “It became this sort of sideshow … almost like any other Florida roadside tourist attraction. But those people who were there, especially really early on that first morning, many of them were there because they really did consider this some sort of Christmas miracle,” said Wilma Norton, who covered the story for The Tampa Bay Times, which was The St. Petersburg Times back then. People prayed, cried, and worshipped at the site. “I stepped out of my car and the presence of God just almost drew me to my knees. I believe it is here to get people’s attention that we are living in the last days … to get ready to meet the soon-coming King,” said Mary Stewart, pastor of the Campaigning for Jesus Christian Center.

The site’s fame also brought on hardship. A few months after the image appeared, vandals flung some liquids at the image. It was later cleared up by rainstorms, only to be shattered by a rock catapulted by an 18-year-old with a slingshot. Shepherds of Christ, the ministry that purchased the building a few years after the image appeared, did not press charges, but the 18-year-old did spend 10 days in jail. Despite the damage, many still believe the site is special. “Mary is still on the building, even though her head is not there,” said Doris Jones, president of Shepherds of Christ Ministries. She said people still come to see the image and that people are “turning to Mary, asking for help.” The building has since been renamed the Mary Image Building.