Oh, What a View by David Hawbaker, Fran Hawbaker

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When artists Fran Hawbaker and Dave Hawbaker designed this mural the first thing they wanted to show was the amazing view from this high vantage point. Observatory Hill is named for the Allegheny Observatory. This astronomical research facility has been located in Riverview Park since 1912, when it was moved here to capitalize on that same high vantage point. The observatory and Riverview Park have both played large roles in the identity of this neighborhood.

Fran Hawbaker had lived in this neighborhood for a while when she was growing up and remembered riding bikes to Riverview Park. The park is one of the largest municipal parks in the area, but at that time there wasn’t a very nice playground available there. Today the 287 acre park offers trails, picnic shelters, and a great playground, so they wanted to highlight that as well.

In addition to Observatory Hill, this neighborhood is also known as Perry North. The mural is located along Perry Highway, and both were named for Admiral Oliver Hazard Perry. Originally this mural had been planned for a location a few blocks away and the owner of that building had wanted Admiral Perry included in the design. When there was a problem using that building for the mural, Dave Hawbaker literally knocked on doors in the area until he found a new location. The owner of this building agreed to let them use the wall and left the design of the artwork up to the artists. They decided to keep Admiral Perry and he eventually became known locally as the Big, Blue Elvis.

Admiral Perry stands at the top of the hill with the great view of the city of Pittsburgh in the distance. Above him you find a neighborhood girl enjoying the monkey bars in Riverview Park. In the background is the observatory and a thriving local community. When you look closely, you see people riding their bikes to the park and shopping in the business district.

Another well known feature in the area is located along Perrysville Ave. There’s a stretch above Riverview Park with a row of mansions that were built in the 1800’s. This block became known as Judge’s Row because so many city judges lived there. Fran and Dave Hawbaker included just a couple of those homes on the right side, where they show a family sitting on the front lawn.

The Hawbakers pointed out that the landscape is not a collage, but it’s a contrived landscape where things are placed artistically rather than accurately. By using that technique they were able to include all of the things that make this neighborhood unique and special. There’s a lot of detail in this mural. From a distance or when you’re driving by it manages to portrait the essence of the neighborhood, but when you stop to really look at it you find a lot more.

Peace, Hope and Charity by Frances Roman Hawbaker

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This mural is on a building for Providence Connections, a non profit organization established by the Sisters of Divine Providence. Their mission is to strengthen families and enrich lives. There were three buildings here when the Sisters purchased the property. St Leo’s church was one of them, vacant for the previous eight years, and torn down in 2001. Fran Hawbaker once lived in this neighborhood and had vivid memories of that Italian Renaissance style church. What she remembered most were the three arches in the front, so she incorporated large arches into the design of the mural.

The landscape shown has many real elements of this neighborhood – past and present – but they aren’t necessarily positioned accurately. It’s what the artist describes as a contrived landscape. For example, in the mural, St Leo’s Church is now in a prominent spot on top of Shimmer Hill.

While designing the mural, Fran Hawbaker spent a day walking around the area taking pictures. The day she decided to do this there just happened to be a community event in progress. They were celebrating the opening of a new ice cream parlor and she found it a great opportunity to see the residents together and to get a feel for the neighborhood again. The ice cream parlor was significant because it had replaced a nuisance bar and many residents saw it as a hopeful sign. This sense of hope is represented in the mural by the little girl in the yellow shirt. The artist explained that she’s looking to the future. Many of the people photographed that day became the models for the other neighbors in the mural.

In a newsletter put out by Providence Connections when the mural was being painted they had this to say:

...the creative and colorful mural captures all that is good about our Marshall–Shadeland neighborhood and the wonderful people who live, work, and play here.
Following a presentation in late May of mural designs by three competing artists appointed by the Sprout Fund, representatives from the Marshall–Shadeland community selected the final design, which was created by former resident and current North Allegheny Senior High School art teacher, Fran Hawbaker. After completion and approval of minor design modifications suggested by various neighborhood constituents in mid–June, a Mural Kickoff Celebration was held. That day, Fran and her husband and fellow muralist, Dave Hawbaker, interacted with our 45–plus summer campers, giving each of them the opportunity not only to learn about the mural creation process, but also to try their hands at painting a small piece of the wall.

Fran Hawbaker posted a blog with a few more photos here. In the blog she states Looking at the mural now and reflecting on the process, I realize how truly blessed we are. It’s not the place but the people who make it special with their act of kindness and sharing and caring for one another. The mural definitely seems to reflect that view of the neighborhood well.

Summary:

Artist(s): Frances Roman Hawbaker
Address: 3114 Brighton Rd
City: Pittsburgh (Marshall–Shadeland) Organization: Sprout Fund

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