Union Station
The mural when new
Year1987 (1987)
ConditionHidden from view
Location612 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio
Coordinates39°58′29.7″N 83°00′10.8″W / 39.974917°N 83.003000°W / 39.974917; -83.003000

Union Station is a two-story tall mural in the Short North and Italian Village neighborhoods in Columbus, Ohio. The mural was painted by Gregory and Jeff Ackers facing a parking lot in the commercial district. The work has been lost or hidden from view since about 2014, when a hotel was built on the parking lot site.

History

The mural in 2012

Created by Gregory Ackers, it covers a portion of the north wall of Blick (formerly Utrecht) Art Supplies at 612 N. High St. and depicts the historic Union Station. It was created in 1987 – a decade after the station's demolition. The work was painted at the behest of the organization Citizens for a Better Skyline.[1] On June 21, 1987, the organization held a public celebration of the mural's completion at the site.[2]

It was located across a parking lot of another well-known Ackers-created mural, Trains.[3] Greg Ackers restored both works in 1998.[1]

By 2012, the mural was deteriorating, with chipping paint leading to large sections of the mural being lost. The other mural was noted to be in decent shape, however.[4] Around 2014, the hotel Le Méridien Columbus, The Joseph was built on the space that served as a parking lot and both murals can no longer be seen.[5] Also lost during the project was a mural, Cliff Dwellers, based on the George Bellows painting.[6]

Artist Gregory Ackers responded to the planned development eliminating his work in 2012: "The way I see it, some things in life are permanent and some things are temporary. Acceptance is a hard thing, but I accept it."[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "RESTORATION HELPS ARTIST FULFILL HIS HEART'S DESIRE - MURALIST GIVING PROCEEDS FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH". The Columbus Dispatch. August 12, 1998. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Short North". The Columbus Dispatch.
  3. ↑ "Artist Selected for Planned Mural", Kevin Parks. This Week Community News. 28 mar 2012. Retrieved 20 jun 2012.
  4. ↑ PARKS, KEVIN. "Muralist ready to make a scene in Clintonville". ThisWeek Community News.
  5. ↑ "Before and After: Short North". August 11, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "SHORT NORTH - Mural project shows changing landscape". The Columbus Dispatch. August 2, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
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