FOREST GLEN — A new landmark sign sits atop the Forest Glen Metra bridge to welcome people to the neighborhood.
The gateway sign at Elston and Forest Glen avenues completes a mural project seven years in the making from neighbors and alderpeople on both sides of the bridge, the dividing line between the 39th and 45th wards.
The Forest Glen Community Club, a nonprofit group of neighbors working to improve the area, is behind the installation. The sign finally gives one of the city’s smallest neighborhoods a sense of identity and place, said Jennifer Nykaza-Zwagerman, chair of the club’s Mural Committee.
“Forest Glen is one of the 77 official community areas, and it’s the name of the train station, the name of the street and the name of our neighborhood,” Nykaza-Zwagerman said. “Jefferson Park, people know. But Forest Glen didn’t really have a landmark, so we needed this landmark.”
Local sign company Right Way Signs painted the sign’s large letters and finished the frame in August. The design is reminiscent of the original lettering of the old Forest Glen Metra station, which Nykaza-Zwagerman said was an intentional ode to the area’s history.
The sign, painted on both sides of the bridge and joining two other murals there, was always part of the plan for the art project at the intersection, Nykaza-Zwagerman said. But the sign was repeatedly delayed because of funding, securing permissions from different agencies and changing alderpeople.
Alex Perry, CEO of Right Way Signs, said it’s gratifying to see the sign complete. His father, Ches, who co-owns the company, was the main painter, Perry said.
“When you enter projects like this, when you know there will be challenges like the environment, it’s always satisfying to see it completed without too many hiccups,” Perry said.
Because of the sign’s location, Perry said his staff took extra precautions to be safe from the passing Metra train — though his father did experience a frightening thrill of a train passing at 100 mph, he said.
Recent heat and rainfall also slowed down the work. In all, Perry said the project took about 10 days and was finished two weeks ago.
It was a long time coming.
Forest Glen neighbors launched their efforts to replace a deteriorating mural on the underpass walls in 2012. Two years later, local artist Cyd Smilie, of Arts Alive Chicago, painted a two-part mural called “After Vivaldi” in its place, with one mural depicting spring and the other depicting summer.
The four-person committee fundraised for the murals in 2014 but needed more money to complete the project and put up a welcoming mural for Forest Glen, Nykaza-Zwagerman said. They received a $10,000 city grant, and Ald. Samantha Nugent’s (39th) office helped get the work to the finish line and secure permission from Metra to allow for the bridge painting.
Fellow club member and longtime resident Gayle Paprocki, who manages the community gardens at the intersection and has seen the mural progress, said the sign represents pride for the neighborhood. It’s another example of the dedication and commitment Forest Glen neighbors have to their community, she said.
“The people of Forest Glen get an idea, and roll up their sleeves and do the work,” Paprocki said. “It takes many people … Instead of saying, ‘Someone should,’ people say, ‘I will.'”
Nykaza-Zwagerman said seeing the completed project is rewarding — and hopefully can put Forest Glen on the map for people not familiar with it.
“It’s wonderful because you can see it from the playground, on your way to the [DMV], with the skyline in the background as you are driving on Elston toward the city,” she said. “It’s a huge span that we really needed to make our place-making.”
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