The mural at the Morro Bay Library was recently restored by adding tiles to replace ones that had fallen off over the years. Photo courtesy of Morro Bay Friends of the Library.
A longstanding landmark in Morro Bay received a facelift. The mosaic mural on the streetside wall of the Morro Bay library at Harbor Street and Shasta Avenue has been restored.
After more than 40 years in the elements, the mural had shed some of its tiles and needed work. The Morro Bay Friends of the Library came to the rescue to make the project come together.
Titled “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” the mural covers the entire west wall of the library across the street from City Hall. One of the first large public art projects in the region, it was designed in 1985 by the late Peter Ladochy, a nationally recognized Estero Bay artist whose work can be seen across the country, including at several locations throughout San Luis Obispo County.
The library’s 650-square-foot mural is composed of 125,000 one-inch glass tiles and depicts Morro Bay’s history and environment. It features the area’s Indigenous people, explorer Juan Cabrillo (who named our famous rock El Morro), and some of the region’s early missionaries. It also includes birds and sea otters, fishing boats in the harbor, local flora and fauna and Morro Rock.
Josh LePell, of San Luis Marble, was hired for the job to replace missing tiles and restore the mural to its original condition. Additionally, a commemorative plaque will soon be installed to honor the original artist and the community effort that made the mural possible.
How does one match tiles today with tiles from 40 years ago? Extra tiles that were left over from the original project were saved as were tiles that had fallen off over time. San Luis Marble also took time to removed loose tiles clean them and re-install them. The project took one week to complete.
In 1985, a team of volunteers under Ladochy’s direction created the mural. The artist taught a class through Morro Bay Recreation Services to train community members how to help assemble and install the mural, and about 100 helpers of all ages turned out to lend a hand.
Ladochy, a former Cayucos resident, died in 2019. His work included the Chumash-themed tile mural/sculpture at Hardie Park Pool and the San Luis Obispo Chinatown mural called “Love and Double Joy,” commemorating the county’s Chinese pioneers, as well as the “Sea Life” mosaic at the Cayucos library.
The current restoration project was funded by the Friends of the Library via a combination of community donations, membership dues and revenue from the Friends’ used bookstore located in the library. The Morro Bay Friends of the Library Book Store is open whenever the Library is open and includes books, CDs, DVDs, audio books and magazines.
The non-profit’s goals, according to their website, are to raise awareness of and promote the library to its greatest possible use, provide financial support for the library and supporting the development and funding of its programming, advocate for the unique Morro Bay library community and patrons, and to provide volunteering and other opportunities for patrons to share their enthusiasm for books and libraries. To find out more or to join the organization go to mbfol.org.
The Friends of the Library is planning an event to celebrate completion of the restoration project with the date and time yet to be determined.
