A piece of history is still in transit

The conservation of Helen Lundeberg’s 60-panel mural “The History of Transportation” has a long way to go. The massive artwork -- commissioned by the WPA and installed in an Inglewood park in 1939 -- endured the indignities of smog and graffiti and took a few hits from cars before the city focused on the problem and secured state funding for its renovation and relocation to the civic center.

The project is scheduled for completion in fall 2005, but those who don’t want to wait that long to check it out can get a preview. The final panel, depicting a family waiting to board a plane, is on display at the Inglewood Public Library, 101 S. Manchester Blvd. Made of bits of colored stone embedded in cement, the 600-pound section of the 240-foot mural is protected by a shipping crate. But visitors can see -- and even touch -- the front surface of the restored panel.

-- S.M.