The 16-story E2 rental apartment complex in downtown Evanston will soon have artwork on the blank rear wall of its parking garage.
The city’s Design and Project Review Committee Wednesday approved plans for the mural, subject to submission of a maintenance plan for it.
Artist Thomas Melvin said the design is intended to highlight images of the area, from prairie grasses to the west to Lake Michigan on the east.
Aside from the iconic Grosse Point lighthouse, it’s not intended to represent particular buildings.
An aerial view of the rear of the E2 parking garage that’s to get the mural, and the adjoining buildings facing University Place. (Google Maps image.)
Melvin said the most detail is provided at the center of the mural. An alley offers passersby a chance to see that section of it from a distance, while the outer sections of the mural will only be visible to people walking up close to the building because of adjacent structures to the south.
The mural, which is being paid for by E2’s owners, was revised somewhat after a meeting with the city’s Arts Council.