Media Contact:
Morgan Lyons

May 12, 1999

Special to The Metrocrest News

Addison Transit Center Murals Reflect Historic and Modern Aspects of Township

Constructed of cast stone and brick in the European style of other structures in the area, the new Transit Center will welcome customers with four huge murals installed in the canopy-style ceiling. The work of Dallas artist Philip Lamb, the murals are formed from a collage of vintage and new photographs reflecting the town's farming past and modern present.

As in all DART Rail stations and transit centers, the handsome murals are the result of area artists, architects and neighbors working together to research the history of the community and decide how best to visualize their findings.

Addison resident Greg Roach says research on the history and design of the murals was a fascinating and productive experience for committee members.

"I was a city councilman at the time, and I knew that Andy Eads at the City of Addison was working to put together a photo history of Addison from its beginnings as a farming community to the present, before those records disappeared. Andy contacted original residents, and invited them to come to City Hall with all their old photographs."

"The Noel family, for whom Noel Road is named, brought lots of photographs, as did many older residents. I owned a photography store just down the block at the time, so I could make instant copies of the vintage photos. These are now in a book about historical Addison. The artist (Philip Lamb) gave us various designs for collages using these images and modern images, as well. The final renderings were wonderful," Roach says.

Roach believes everyone learned from the project. "DART gave us the opportunity to become involved in the design and art of the transit center. It was not like having somebody come in and say, 'This is what we're going to do.' instead they asked us what we would like to have in this structure. Architectural and budget constraints were very clear from the beginning, and we all worked very well together," he added.

(see also: New transit center, new bus routes on the way)

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