Future Of Famous Mural Alongside 91 Freeway Uncertain As Restoration Activists Face Roadblock

CORONA, CA – A 41-year-old mural in Corona's Prado Dam that residents throughout the area want to see preserved but could be dismantled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not qualify as a historic landmark, the Corps announced Tuesday.

Spokesman Greg Fuderer said that following a months-long analysis, the Corps' Los Angeles District staff determined that the beloved spillway display does not meet the criteria for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The preliminary finding is slated to be finalized by July 10, Fuderer said. The Corps will accept further input from interested parties until that time.

According to Fuderer, the Corps relied on standards established by the National Park Service to reach its conclusion, which is bound to be challenged.

The Corps specifically looked at whether the mural could be eligible for recognition as a national treasure using the "exceptional significance" standard, but found no validation, including lack of "distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction" and no "information to contribute to our understanding of human history."

The Corps acknowledged "the importance of the mural to the local community," but did not believe that served to justify preserving it, Fuderer said.

The cities of Corona, Eastvale and Norco have all passed resolutions urging restoration and preservation of the mural. Riverside County Board of Supervisors Chairman John Tavaglione has also expressed support.

In 2015, the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles sued the Corps in federal court to halt moves toward removing the mural, as planned. A U.S. District Court judge in Riverside signed a restraining order barring any work at the site until all options for the mural's future were explored. It's possible the suit will be revived in the wake of the Corps' announcement Tuesday.

The agency, which controls Prado Dam, issued findings in 2014 that the best way to proceed was to remove the dilapidated mural, which stands 106 feet tall and stretches 2,280 feet across. The deconstruction plan ran into stiff opposition from area activists, led by Ron Kammeyer, who helped create the mural.

The display, situated inside the flood control channel for the Santa Ana River, was painted in May 1976 to celebrate America's 200th birthday. More than 30 Corona High School students spent several weekends voluntarily working on the project.

When completed, the mural read "200 Years of Freedom," with a space depicting the Liberty Bell, followed by "1776-1976" painted in red, white and blue.

Over the years, the display has suffered weather-related decay and graffiti vandalism, blotting out some of the original scheme, though it's still visible from portions of the Corona (71) Expressway and the Riverside (91) Freeway.

Kammeyer and other activists gathered more than 25,000 signatures in favor of preserving the display.

More information is available at http://friendsofthepradodammural.com.

– By City News Service / Images via Google Maps