In May and in August of this year, employees of the Lakeview Museum in Peoria IL found three intact murals dating from the end of the 19th Century that had once adorned the walls of the old library, torn down in 1966.
The murals originally were thought to have been destroyed when the library was demolished because they were referred to in library board minutes as “frescos,” (pieces of art painted directly on walls while the plaster is wet) when in fact, they were painted on canvas, rolled up and stored in excellent condition. A library reference assistant, Linda Aylward, started the hunt for the lost artwork based on a photograph she had showing the river mural in the old library’s board room.
The bad news, though, is that the library can’t afford to restore the murals, even though it was hoping to do so for their upcoming 125th anniversary.
Story from the Peoria Journal Star.
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