Building owner, City working on new, historic mural for 4th Street wall in Antioch’s downtown Rivertown
“We’re going to update it” – Sean McCauley
By Allen D. Payton
Good news for those concerned about the removal of the historic mural on the W. 4th Street side of the building on the corner of G Street in Antioch’s downtown Rivertown.
After reading the Herald article about the mural, Sean McCauley who, with his partner Ron Harrison, owns the building, shared that a new mural would be painted on the building.
“We’re going to update it,” he stated.
“We are working with (Acting City Manager) Kwame (Reed) and (Mayor) Lamar (Hernandez-Thorpe), to redo the mural and to depict a similar and more inclusive scene for the community,” McCauley shared. “Grant funds were secured for this mural and others.”
Asked about the funds for the other murals in Rivertown, specifically the Sesquicentennial mural on the side of the building at 505 W. 2nd Street he said, “The only mural that was in bad shape was the one on W. 4th Street.”
“It wasn’t just the paint. The stucco was failing on the building and has been for years,” McCauley explained. “The building was literally falling off and hitting people.”
“We aren’t going to take the easement off of it,” he continued. “We’re working with Kwame and Brad to get a good mural up there. This is a positive thing for downtown.”
“We tried to get in contact with the muralist (who lives out of state) but she isn’t interested in redoing it,” said McCauley. “We have a muralist we’re working with on our downtown Pittsburg buildings and trying to use the same muralist for this one.”
The design is not done yet but it “will be more inclusive”, he reiterated.
“It’s a $650,000 to $700,000 investment that we’re putting into that G Street block (between W. 3rd and 4th Streets),” McCauley stated. “We’re doing what we can to improve the downtown.”
That includes investments by the two partners purchasing and improving multiple other buildings in Rivertown, including the Salon Suites on W. 4th and I Streets, and bringing several restaurants to the Rivertown Dining District including Smith’s Landing Seafood Grill, Monica’s Riverview, Guadalajara Taqueria, Abuelita’s House Pastries and Peruvian Sandwiches, and Buford’s BBQ.
In addition, Sylvia’s Florist is returning to Antioch and will soon open in McCauley’s building at 101 H Street in the old Casino building next to Waldie Plaza.
UPDATE 1: Original Mural Leader Wants Replacement to be Historically Correct
After reading the article above, former Antioch Councilwoman Elizabeth Rimbault, who was instrumental in leading the effort for the W. 4th Street mural, offered additional information about who it depicted and wants to ensure the replacement is historically correct.
“The original Operators Telephone Office Mural was historically correct for the occupants of the corner office in the 1940’s and 1950’s of downtown Antioch. The people depicted were real and were prominent figures of the time with names and families some still in Antioch,” she shared.
“Bill Friedrickson was the telephone repairman leaning against the truck and in the late 1990’s cleared hundreds of pounds of abandoned phone wires in the attic of the Historical Society Museum when they acquired the Riverview Union High School,” Rimbault continued. “Bob Beswick was a driving force of the community without serving on the city council.”
“When it is stated, the new mural will be more ‘inclusive’, does that mean people will be painted in that were not an employee of the phone company? Or not a resident in 1950? That would constitute revised history which I am sad to say there has been too much of that in Antioch lately in these 2020’s being more politically driven,” she stated. “I suggest that as the Historical Society received all rights, obligations, and remaining funds from the Antioch Friends of the Arts, that the Society be given final say of correctness of all historical facts depicted in the new design of the mural.”
“The boys seen in the window were just children that Char Downs Siska, the artist, painted in. They don’t depict anyone specific,” Rimbault added.
“It should be noted the only murals granting a city easement are W. 4th and G Street and 505 2nd Street. All other murals on private buildings and walls are totally the property owners’ right to choose,” she stated.
UPDATE 2: Mural Leader Suggests Depicting Two Black Sisters to Make New Mural Inclusive While Maintaining Historical Accuracy
After a few days thinking about it, Rimbault shared additional historical information about a Black family who lived in Antioch during the time the mural depicted. She offered a suggestion of adding depictions of two of the sisters to make the new mural more inclusive and keeping it historically accurate, as McCauley mentioned.
“Hold the presses,” Rimbault requested after her memory was triggered. “The mural was for 1951. It’s possible that at that time the Blanton (sp) family lived on railroad property near Railroad Avenue and A Street. The two oldest girls were in Antioch schools until Vergy was told to attend Pittsburg High School as she was graduating from junior high to high school. Her sister Joyce was in my husband’s Class of ‘61 and Vergy would have been in the Class of ’62.”
“If you count backwards, both girls would have been six and seven years old in 1951 and the only Black children in Antioch at the time,” Rimbault stated. “So, if the mayor wants the mural to be inclusive, two children looking into the operators’ window need to be little girls and it could be a tribute to the two, as they had many friends in school and should have been allowed to stay. But due to the underlying, unwritten law of Antioch the superintendent of schools suggested to their parents they would be better off in Pittsburg where they would be able to date boys of their own race.”
“And little girls would be more appropriately curious about all the women operators,” she added.
“Years ago, Joyce attended my husband’s class reunion of 50 years and had always considered it her class even though she was made to transfer as a junior,” Rimbault shared. “Her sister had a much harder adjustment, dropping out later and died as a young woman.”
“It’s amazing what memories this situation has caused to flood back to me. Have not thought about this in years,” the former Antioch historian mused.
the attachments to this post:
Historic W 4th St mural phone co scene boys in window
Historic W 4th St mural waymarking
