2013 Library Award Honors Mural Restoration Committee

The Board of Trustees of the Park Ridge Public Library is pleased to announce that the Post Office Mural Restoration Committee has been named the recipient of the 2013 Library Award.

The annual award honors the dedicated work showed by the committee members in raising funds and arranging for the careful restoration of the historic mural. Dr. Anthony Borelli, Richard VanMetre, Jeff Caudill, Nancy Pytel, Patricia Lofthouse, Paul Adlaf, and John Murphy each received an award at a meeting of the Library Board on April 16.

The six foot by 20 foot mural, “Indians Cede the Land” was painted by George Melville Smith and installed at the Park Ridge Post Office in 1940 as part of the Treasury Relief Art Project, which commissioned original art for public buildings. It depicts a symbolic representation of the transfer of Illinois lands from Indians to settlers.

Rescued by a local history teacher named Paul Carlson when the post office was sold in 1970, the mural languished in storage for nearly 40 years, until the Carlson family donated the work to the Library per Mr. Carlson’s wishes. The Mural Restoration Committee was formed by three Library Trustees in partnership with the Park Ridge Historical Society to undertake the task of raising funds for the restoration. The installation and dedication of the historic Post Office Mural in the Library took place on Saturday, February 23, 2013.

“Every time visitors come to the Library to view the mural, they will be able to see what was accomplished by a small group of people who were passionate about saving a piece of local history,” says Library Director Janet Van De Carr.

Recipients for the Library Award are selected by the Library Board of Trustees from a group of nominees. In addition to an inscribed award presented to the recipient, the names of each annual honoree are listed on a perpetual plaque at the Library.