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Marriott Pere Marquette

Peoria museum files claim for hotel mural ownership

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
Marriott Pere Marquette
Pere Marquette Hotel in Peoria, Illinois. Photo by Robert Lawton, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) – A central Illinois museum wants to make sure that a historic mural stays in Peoria as the auction of the Marriott Pere Marquette and neighboring Courtyard by Marriott approaches next month.

The Journal Star reports that the Peoria Riverfront Museum filed a claim in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in July indicating ownership of the mural in the hotel lobby depicting the landing of the Marquette and Louis Joliet expedition in 1673 in what would later be Peoria.

Museum CEO John Morris says the museum wants to continue keeping the artwork public, calling it a “cultural asset to the community.”

The piece was created by George Matthews Harding, a painter and muralist from the 1920s whose work is showcased in hotels in New York City and other East Coast locations.

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Information from: Journal Star

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