Mural mystery at Gold Dust Meridian
A former office now cool midcentury lounge once housed a mural by famous Oregon muralist
Last one to know I guess but Gold Dust Meridian wasn’t always a cool, cozy bar. Its previous life was a Realtor shop. Then maybe accountant offices? The interiors have a solid mid-century vibe (love that roofline) and it feels like it could’ve always been a bar. So, kudos who saw that vision to make it so.
What I did discover though was a newspaper clip from the mid-50s titled “Art Murals Can Add Color to Modern Offices,” that mentions Nelson Sandgren ( a painter and printmaker who taught at Oregon State University for thirty-eight years, from 1948 until 1986) and a mural he created for the once offices, described as “12x3 foot mural decorating a wall in the office of Preferred Properties.”
The mural is described as a “well designed to incorporate forms suggesting the city—house plan, plot of city area, churches, public buildings, residential areas, parks, business and industry.”
I’m gonna guess it’s long gone. I’ll guess I’ll have to go back and order an Old Fashioned and ask around.