One of Nebraska’s most recognizable works of public art is back on display after a five-year restoration effort. Project leaders marked the placement of the final glass tiles on the restored Pershing Auditorium mural Thursday, celebrating a campaign that raised $4.1 million to save, restore, move and reinstall the historic artwork.
The massive mosaic, made up of 763,000 glass tiles, was removed from the former Pershing Auditorium in 2021 and painstakingly restored before being installed at its new home at Wyuka cemetery.
Volunteers say the project drew support from thousands of Nebraskans and is believed to be one of the largest murals ever relocated. Organizers are now working to raise the remaining $360,000 needed to complete a public plaza in front of the mural, featuring accessible walkways, seating and space for performances and community events.
Project leaders also hope to earn a Guinness World Record designation for what they believe is the world’s largest mural ever moved. One of the men behind the restored Pershing Memorial mural says the project required equal parts skill and courage. Luke Holle says neither he nor his team had ever tackled a restoration of this size or complexity.
“I’ve done this square footage on a car dealership floor, but no mosaic this large, nothing outside and certainly not a historical art piece.” Holle and his crew spent the past year developing new installation methods.
(Luke Holle holds the final piece of the Pershing Mural)
The project involved specialized materials designed to withstand Nebraska’s changing weather, and a custom-engineered steel and concrete support structure built to handle wind loads and temperature extremes.
Team members also recognized Angie Hernandez, who, along with two other people, spent more than two years cleaning the tile panels by hand before installation could begin. “When I first started it had glue and grout and everything and we had to use the scrapers and the grinders and I don’t know how many times I cut my fingers and the gloves. So it took time.”