Ottawa muralist: 'I'm just going to mask everyone'

OTTAWA — Artist Bruce Stowe has made his own statement on face masks. Stowe, who last fall created a mural of some of Ottawa's past businesses on the side of the Putnam County Community Thrift Store, added masks made from plastic bags, packing material and masking tape to the figures he painted in the panorama. In recent weeks, Putnam County has recorded among the highest numbers of new cases of the novel coronavirus in the state. "Even before it happened all over the world, people were putting masks on famous pieces of art," said Stowe. "I think it's an artist thing, 'I'm just going to mask everyone.'" The mural is located in the 100 block of West Main Street and depicts businesses that once filled a neighboring block that was demolished in 2015. Stowe calls it the "Rex Mural," after the Rex Theater which was part of Ottawa's downtown scene from 1917 until 1959. "I wanted to bring in the history and just show people what that block looked like," he said. The movie "The Thoroughbred" is advertised on the theater's marquis. Stowe said the film was based on a story written by Leete Renneke Brown and became a well-received silent movie in 1925. "What's interesting is that L.R. Brown was from Ottawa," said Stowe. Brown's father had been an Ottawa businessman in the 1890s, he said. "L.R. went off to World War I and came back a changed man," said Stowe. "He tried to sell cars after the war but wasn't successful." Brown did better in Hollywood: "He went out there and started writing these stories," Stowe said, adding that 23 of Brown's works were made into films. One of the figures shown standing in front of the theater is Leslie Hope. He is portrayed as a 21-year-old performer with Hurley's Jolly Follies, a Vaudevillian troupe that appeared several times at the old Tawa Theater that stood across the street and down a block from the Rex. Hope, dressed in the 1920s style with a monogrammed sweater and cane, would later become known as actor, singer and comedian Bob Hope, said Stowe. Hope's character wears a mask, as does that of Theodore C. Chifos, an immigrant from Greece who lived in Ottawa for 45 years. Stowe said Chifos came to town after the stock market crash in 1929 and took over the Tawa Theater, renaming it the Hollywood Theater. Chifos would later create Our Lord's Park at the corner of South Walnut and West Main streets in Ottawa. He purchased the land, financed its construction, then donated the park to the town in 1976. The mural was sponsored by the Croy family, who started the thrift store. Paul and Kathryn Croy had operated Croy's Restaurant, which also became a depot for the Greyhound Bus Line. They advertised having the "best cup of coffee in town," which Stowe added to the mural. He found the slogan on an old matchbook cover. Kathryn Croy is pictured in the doorway. Also depicted is Rappaport's Variety Store, which opened before 1900. The Rappaports immigrated from Eastern Europe to escape Jewish persecution, said Stowe. Their daughter, Frances, can be seen looking at her father through the front window of the store. She holds an old school bell, a tribute, said Stowe, to her NBC show, "Ding Dong School." She won a Peabody Award for her work in 1954. "It was really the first child's education show for preschoolers," he said. Frances graduated from Ottawa Public High School in 1924. Stowe has the white gold wristwatch she received for the occasion, purchased at auction after her death in 2001. The mural took about three months to complete. Stowe said the most challenging part of the project was working with the windows in the wall. "What I wanted to do, people driving through will think there are actually stores here, and most people are tricked for awhile," he said. Stowe added the masks in July, just prior to the first concert held next door in the Rex Center Park. It was just a week after Ohio's mandatory face covering order went into effect. As master of ceremonies, Stowe said he made note of the masks when welcoming the audience. "I made a point, I said, 'Well, look over there. You know what happened? I made all my characters put on their masks,'" he said. "'I just want you guys to do your best and all be safe.'" Wolf: 419-427-8419 jeanniewolf@thecourier.com