?The Silver Spring Metro station’s brutalist concrete architecture received a much-needed injection of color and a bit of whimsy this month as a beloved penguin mural returned to its longtime home.
Local leaders were on hand to commemorate the return of the 100-foot-long, 25-panel “Penguin Rush Hour” artwork Wednesday morning.
“I will say to you I’ve heard a great deal about Silver Spring over the years,” County Executive Ike Leggett said. “We’ve done a great many things that have been important for our community. But I tell you everywhere I go, people stop and say to me—‘When are the penguins coming back?’ ”
The mural wraps around the concrete wall underneath the Colesville Road rail bridge in Downtown Silver Spring. Credit: Andrew Metcalf
The digitally printed aluminum version is a replica of the original painted on plywood by artist Sally Callmer Thompson that hung below the Colesville Road rail bridge for more than 15 years before it was taken down in 2006. The mural, which had been damaged by weather, was removed to be restored as well as protected during construction of the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center.
The original is being stored and maintained by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. Council CEO Suzan Jenkins said the arts group is looking for a new indoor location to display the original.
On Wednesday, passersby stopped to take selfies with the artwork, which features hundreds of anthropomorphic penguins making their way through a Metro station. Small metal spikes rested on top of the lengthy artwork to prevent birds from roosting on the work.
The county commissioned the new version, which was designed to be weather resistant, officials said. The mural was printed by the Silver Spring firm Dodge Chrome.
In addition to Leggett, County Council President Roger Berliner and council member Tom Hucker, who represents Silver Spring, were on hand to commemorate the return of the artwork. Hucker mentioned how the mural’s popularity has led the penguin to become a de-facto mascot for Silver Spring. A huge penguin float ambles in the annual Montgomery County Thanksgiving parade in downtown Silver Spring and children learning to ice skate at the Veterans Plaza rink use skating stands that resemble penguins.
“I’m happy to be here today to see an old friend return to its home in Silver Spring,” Hucker said.
