09/25/2026
Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating the restoration of the Neosho Mural by Lawrence Sanchez yesterday! We were honored to have Neosho Arts Council founder John Mills join us to officially cut the ribbon to celebrate this mural.
Thank you Neosho Area Chamber of Commerce and Guaranty Bank for the ribbon cutting!
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In 1964 the building was a Safeway grocery store.
Safeway District manager Frank Glasgow was quoted as saying “We suddenly realized that in building our new store we were putting a huge blank brick wall facing one of the most picturesque and beautiful parks in the land.”
A mural design contest was held and 31 entries were received
Sanchez - technical artist for Rocketdyne, studied at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts after serving in the U.S. Army - his design told the history of Neosho from its founding through the space age.
The mural was unveiled in May of 1965.
One of the runners up in the design contest was a Neosho School District student, John Mills. In 1988 the Mill's family moved their furniture and appliance store into the building. The mural was now under the watchful eyes of John whose passion for art has been lifelong.
The test of time took its course on the mural. Cracks developed and tiles began to fall from the mural. John tried to find repair options, at that time there were no viable solutions.
In 2010 John founded the Neosho Arts Council.
In 2019, the arts council had a survey of the damage conducted by an art preservationist and a restoration plan formed.
Since the mural was installed in 1965 matching the colors was a challenge.
In creating a descriptive audio guide for the mural - extensive research led to the discovery of the company that originally manufactured the tiles and they were still in business, but not producing the colors needed. Last year the company launched a new line of vintage colors with almost every color needed. Allowing the council to restore the mural for just over $6,000, about half of the original projected cost.
In mid-June of 2026 the delicate process began to restore the mural. Each tile was inspected for structural stability; damaged tiles removed, and failed grout cleared. A team of two tile professionals worked with chisels and hammers to clear the damage. Replacement tiles were placed by hand. Over three weeks the Neosho Mural was restored.
You can learn about the murals and restoration process at Nesoho Arts Council’s website.
