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Although hard to tell from it's present condition, this mural was a trompe l’oeil design with images from McKeesport past and present. Meant to look like you could walk right into the scene, the mural includes several local landmarks and images from 1860 to 2001. There are local celebrities in the mural such as Henriette Leaver (Miss America 1935), Hazel Garland (an editor of the New Pittsburgh Courier) and Gene Danko (captain of the McKeesport Tigers champion basketball team in 1955).
Work on the mural was in progress when the events of 9/11 occurred. When that happened the artist modified the mural to bring the American Flag to a more prominent position, and included the images of the local police chief (Ron Willard) and fire chief (Fred Bray) as a tribute to the first responders lost in the attacks.
There was so much local interest in the mural that limited edition prints of it were sold with the proceeds benefiting the senior citizens through the Community LIFE (Living Independently for Elders) organization.
You can see what the mural originally looked like on August Vernon’s website.
Update – May 2014
This mural is gone. The wall has been painted over.
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