Armitage Ghost Mural

This public mural at the Armitage Avenue CTA stop in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood was commissioned in 2017 by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affeirs and Special Events and the office of the 43rd Ward Alderman Michelle Smith. It draws on the architectural identity of the Armitage-Halsted Landmark District and on its history as one of Chicago's first-generation commercial districts.       Photo credit: Jasmine Clark

The design incorporates contours of distinctive rooflines and turrets found throughout the area and reconstructions of the "ghost" images of old commercial advertisement murals that were commonly found in the area. The central image is framed with trompe-l'oeil pilasters that echo the design if the pressed metal pilasters on the building's facade. Similar false architecture is painted around the glass block window in the wall, incorporating it into the design, and a trompe-l'oeil cornice and frieze connect these elements to form a unified framing design.