ADDRESS: 164 South Prospect Avenue, Park Ridge, Illinois, 60038
ARTIST: George Melville Smith
TITLE: Indians Cede the Land
MEDIUM: Oil on canvas (mural)
STATUS: The former Park Ridge post office is now owned by the local school district. The mural was restored and relocated to the local Park Ridge public library where it can be viewed by interested members of the public.
YEAR: 1937
I’ve always had this one in the back of my mind. When I realized there was a mural in the old building I often wondered where it was located. See I had originally visited the building on Busse Hwy but didn’t find the mural. So I made a mental note to research it someday. Well that “someday” finally arrived as I was visiting Mary Emma Thompson back in October of 2014 during one of her book signings.
As we were chatting we ended up talking about the mural in Park Ridge and she commented that it had been moved to Park Ridge Public Library. So naturally after I learned of this, I put it on my “to do” list. In March of this year we had a nice clear day and I decided to visit Park Ridge. During this visit I was able to photograph the old building on Prospect Ave and the mural.
What a great job Parma Conservation did restoring the mural, I wish I would have been around for the unveiling of the it back in 2013. But alas here it is and I’m finally able to share it with you. Thanks to all who made restoring this mural possible and making it available to the public once again.
So after re-reading this again, just to clarify the mural no longer resides in the original building. It has been moved to the local library. The original building is now home to the Park Ridge – Niles School District 64, Raymond E. Hendee Educational Services Center.
What do you think? Did you make it to the unveiling of the mural at the library? What was it like? Please comment and share below.
Thanks,
David W. Gates Jr.
Sources
- Personal visit on 3/28/2015 and 3/30/2023 by David W. Gates Jr.
- Illinois Post Office Mural Guidebook
- Smithsonian National Postal Museum (Indians Cede the Land | National Postal Museum (si.edu)
- Democratic Vistas: Post Offices and Public Art in the New Deal
: [Hardcover] Marlene Park, Gerald E. Markowitz
- Park Ridge Public Library, Park Ridge, Illinois
- Parma Conservation
- Chicago Tribune: Park Ridge Library mural’s move put on hold due to concerns about sun, visibility.
- Patch Illinois: Progress on Park Ridge Post Office Mural Restoration.
