Stained-glass panels planned for new parking deck

April 1, 2001 — Source: Naperville Sun, The (IL) — Author: Meg Dedolph

The Van Buren Avenue parking deck is next in line for a little beautification work, courtesy of Century Walk.

The public arts program officials are proposing four stained glass panels placed at eye level on the building, which is expected to be completed in November.

"I thought it was an excellent location," said city management analyst Peggy Halik.

"I think there will be a lot of traffic, literally.

We usually mean that figuratively but literally going into that structure, and there will be a lot of walking traffic around it, and that's what you want when you're doing public art.

You want the best exposure for the piece."

Century Walk administrator Pat Springer said the arts organization has talked with a graphic artist who works in stained glass, but didn't want to give the artist's name until a contract had been signed.

She expects to take the proposal to the city for final approval before the end of the month, she said.

"This parking garage is really going to look very nice," Springer said.

"It's going to look like a retail building, rather than a parking garage, so as far as doing a mural, there really weren't walls large enough, and we didn't want to distract from the good look of the building."

The five-story garage's design includes a glass elevator on the Van Buren Avenue side of the structure, which made stained glass a natural medium to consider, Springer said.

"I think it'll be beautiful at night," she said.

"At night, the stained glass will show, and during the day, the sun will shine through."

The initial idea is to portray four historic Naperville vehicles -- keeping with the parking garage theme -- in scenes for each season.

"With this type of an art medium, we can always add to it if we wanted to down the road," Springer said.

"We could add more stained glass as you go up to the different stories."

Upcoming additions to Century Walk include a trio of statues at Naper Settlement, scheduled to be dedicated in the last half of May and a mural on the wall of Sullivan's Steakhouse, 244 S. Main St.

As part of a plan to spread public art as far north as Fifth Avenue, Springer said the arts organization is planning works for Washington Junior High, on the corner of Spring Avenue and Washington Street; and at the DuPage Children's Museum on Washington Street.
     

Section: NEWS — Page: 10