Hitachi employees Jessica Bailey, left, and Chelsie Fayson admire a giant mural painted by Felix Maldonado Jr. that was dedicated Tuesday in Michigan City. The mural depicts both the history and industry of Michigan City. John J. Watkins, The Times
A massive new mural stretching along a city block tells the story of Michigan City and the manufacturing of Sullair air compressors there.
Hitachi Global Air Power marked the 60th anniversary of Sullair air compressors being made in the city by commissioning a mural along retaining walls along Michigan Boulevard in conjunction with the Lubeznik Center for the Arts. The acclaimed artist Felix "Flex" Maldonado, who painted the landmark Jackson 5 murals in Miller and downtown Gary, spent a month painting the public artwork.
The mural on the 900 Block of Michigan Boulevard depicts Michigan City landmarks like the lighthouse, the hyperboloid power plant cooling tower and the South Shore Line.
"We are very proud to have global reach right here in Michigan City, Indiana," Hitachi Global Air Power President and CEO Hideki Fujimoto said. "This work of art is our way of saying thank you. It tells the story of Michigan City's history, its people and its beauty. We are happy to have played a part in that story for six decades. We hope this mural will provide this community with a sense of pride and inspiration and become a landmark in this vibrant city."
Sullair was founded in Michigan City in 1965 and became one of LaPorte County's largest employers, making air compressors for the construction, manufacturing, mining and other industries. Along with Sullivan-Palatek and Vanair, it helped Michigan City become known as the nation's compressor capital.
It was acquired in 2017 by Hitachi Global Air Power, which later rebranded the company while keeping the well-established Sullair brand name for its products.
"We are excited to share this gift with the people of Michigan City and are excited to share the next 60 years together," Fujimoto said.
Dignitaries gathered Tuesday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Michigan City Mayor Angie Nelson-Deuitch said the company had deep roots in the community and was more than just a major employer.
"We have a lot of residents who are retired from or are working from Sullair or Hitachi that I know," she said. "This mural is more than paint on the wall. It's a symbol of growth, revitalization and civic pride. It reminds of us of our history together and reflects the bright future we are building side-by-side, especially as a part of our neighborhood beautification plan. It brings energy, inspiration. It will serve as a reminder of what can happen when business, arts and community come together."
The city looks forward to many more decades of progress together with Hitachi Global Air Power, she said.
"I had a wonderful tour last year with the plant. To see people I grew up with working in there," she said. "This is truly an indication of what community partnerships mean to us and our residents."
Maldonado said it was a dual-ended history of Michigan City that told the story of its industry, commerce and faith. Both ends start in the part before progressing to the public. The south end depicts the raw materials that go into steelmaking, while the north end shows the Potawatomi tribe that originally inhabited the area.
"It starts off from a spark to the ingredients to make steel to the workers to make the steel to the steel mills to the factories to what we have today," he said. "The other side is more of a historic organic side with the settlers before us, the Native Americans, the ports, the seaways, the commerce, the trade, through a more traditional end of progress in the city. I came up with important milestones and factors and important people as well. It shows tourism and technology."
The mural depicts Michigan City's past as a maritime hub for ships moving goods on the Great Lakes as well as lighthouse keeper Harriet Colfax and railroad boxcar magnate John Barker Sr.
"When you're looking at the mural from left to right, you're looking at the inception of the Region being developed by the Potawatomi, who planted the seed to the area, which created distribution, commerce, trade, they created these ports so we can have more development and commerce," Maldonado said. "On the industrial side, we're looking at the railways and the trains developed in Michigan City by Barker, which fueled other industries to come and place roots here like Sullair, Luden's and Zorn. It's a two-ended story that comes together to the present."
The center features a birder looking through binoculars at a seagull, reflecting how Michigan City is a birding hotspot. One of the binocular lens focuses on a microchip representing the city's embrace of technology.
The mural stretches about 200 feet long. It stretches along Michigan Boulevard from Holliday Street nearly to Cass Street.
"It's long. It was a monster," he said. "We did it in the timeframe requested. It was a unique space. It was challenging. But I was up from it. I worked from the centers out so I could take care of the bigger stuff first. Despite the weather being brutal as hot as it was, we got it done. I was pleased with the results."
It reflects the city's civil pride and features some easter eggs for keen-eyed viewers, Maldonado said. The Lubeznik Center for the Arts is putting together an audio guide that will explain it in depth that people will be able to access by scanning a QR code on their phone.
Maldonado hopes it will give people an understanding on how the city developed and became what it is today.
"It's a great example of what a city can do to uplift and recognize their town," Maldonado said. "It's a very unique mural. It's not just one you can stand in front of and enjoy. I had to drive down the street to see how the flow of the mural goes. It has a flow when you're passing by. I wanted people to be able to enjoy it whether they're going 2 miles per hour or 22 miles per hour down the street and something to give them an idea of the history of the town without having to stop and study every detail."
Council member Nancy Moldenhauer said it contributed a sense of community and unity to the city, especially to the Eastport neighborhood.
"I feel it's an acknowledgement of this whole neighborhood, which has been so active in working together and coming up with new ideas and actually implementing those ideas," she said. "I think the symbols they picked out to recognize industrial Michigan City and historical tourist Michigan City are absolutely perfect and on the mark. The artists and his committee did an excellent job with picking out the symbols they've chosen."
Council member Gregory Coulter said it represented key symbols of Michigan City history like the lighthouse and harbor.
"It's also our connection to the world," Coulter said. "These are ways that people find their way home to Michigan City and I think it's great that we have a mural that shows those landmarks and shows you're back in Michigan City."
It's a significant addition to the city's robust public art scene, which includes murals on the west side and sculpture in the Uptown Arts District.
"The Lubeznik Center with Janet Block at the helm, she's killing it. She's putting color anywhere she can and I love it. Felix has been a big part of that," he said. "A spot that was a grey wall is now something worth looking at and something that welcomes people to our town."
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