In the abatement business you never know what you are going to find. During a routine remediation project at Union Station in St. Louis, Midwest Service Group (MSG) crew members were their own kind of “monument’s men” after they discovered an historical long-misplaced mural that once stood above the ticket counter in 1942. The mural, known as “Commerce on the Landing” was painted by Chicago muralist Louis Grell and overlooked the busy crowds in the heyday of train travel.
At some point afterwards, the painting was stored and lost behind a false wall.
The mural, known as “Commerce on the Landing,” was painted by Chicago muralist Louis Grell and was mounted over the station’s ticket counter in 1942. The counter was on the main floor next to the wide and long passenger midway that thronged with passengers in the heyday of train travel.
Then, at some point, it was stashed away and hidden behind a false wall. At 7 feet high by 28 feet across, one wonders how it go missing for decades. Old pictures of Union Station alluded to the mural’s existence, but only during a $66 million renovation and careful remediation did the piece of history surface.