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Historic Park Ridge mural unveiled Feb. 23
Art preservationists from Parma Conservation in Chicago worked to restore Park Ridge's "Indians Cede the Land" mural last year. | Contributed photo
Updated: February 18, 2013 11:06AM
PARK RIDGE — The historic Park Ridge mural that underwent restoration last year will be unveiled this month at the Park Ridge Public Library where it will be on permanent display.
The dedication of the “Indians Cede the Land” mural will take place at 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 23 at the library, 20 S. Prospect Ave. The event is open to the public.
The mural, painted by George Melville Smith, hung in the former Park Ridge Post Office for 30 years and was rescued in 1970 by Maine East High School history teacher Paul Carlson. After Carlson’s death in 2008, the mural was donated to the Park Ridge Public Library and a committee of volunteers was formed to raise money to have the damaged mural restored and publicly displayed once more.
“We are tremendously excited to reintroduce the mural to the public,” Library Director Janet Van De Carr said a statement. “People have only seen damaged images of it before its restoration, but we think they’ll now understand why the committee worked so hard to give this fascinating work a new life.”
