Mural skepticism melted away

At the outset, you could have colored us skeptical.
The notion of a downtown Portland mural on the side of the Eagles Lodge — once the Merchants Hotel and one of the city’s most historic structures — sounded nice on paper.
But the track record for this sort of project has been mixed at best.
Some small town murals come across as amateurish or cartoonish.
It was reassuring that mural artist Pamela Bliss has a proven track record in Richmond, Indianapolis, and elsewhere. She obviously knows what she’s doing.
Just the same, skepticism prevailed when the artist began her work.
But it didn’t take long for that to melt away, like butter on an Indiana July afternoon.
The “Welcome to Portland” mural featuring inventor and automotive pioneer Elwood Haynes is still taking shape, but it’s definitely a high-quality piece of work, something the community can be proud of.
On top of that, the gray paint job and white highlights on the north wall of the Eagles Lodge make us eager to see the eastern façade of the building transformed as well. It looks great, and it makes us hungry for more.
That means more façade improvements, like the work done over the weekend on the Porter-Takats building at High and Meridian, ought to be undertaken.
And it may mean that — in spite of our initial skepticism — additional murals ought to be considered.
The recognition of the county’s most famous favorite son, Elwood Haynes, is long overdue. But there are others who have also been overlooked.
Madison Township-born architect Walter Scholer comes to mind as a prime candidate. Not only did he design the Weiler Building, now John Jay Center for Learning, he also designed the red brick campus of Purdue University, the home of the president of Ball State University, Emens Auditorium, and dozens of other Indiana landmarks.
Maybe he needs to be part of the next chapter. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]