Iron Gate Motor Condos in Naperville houses cars for those who need extra garage space, but in the underground garage of its ‘5 O’Clock Tower’ there’s a piece of artwork that’s just as unique as the cars around it: The World’s Largest Indoor Car Mural, entitled: “Auto-mobility On the Shoulders of Giants”.
The 10,000 square foot mural was painted by Joe Ortega, and took over a year to complete. He estimates the piece contains over one million brush strokes.
The idea came from Iron Gates owner Tom Burgess. When the project started, he was simply hoping to customize the space with a fresh coat of paint and some creative artwork.
Car Art of Car Parts
“You know, you get started on something, I mean the original concept was just to take some very large iconic pieces of cars. I thought that would probably be enough, but then we got started and it’s like well…let’s add this let’s add this, and before you know it, here’s what we have,” said Tom Burgess, Owner/Developer of Iron Gate Motor Condos.
Within the wall are tributes to the place of cars in pop-culture, like 007 himself next to his iconic Aston Martin, as well as iconic car parts. The Rolls Royce hood ornament “The Spirit of Ecstasy” is painted into one corner with an impressive use of perspective to give the illusion that the Spirit is always staring directly at you, no matter where you’re standing.
The piece also pays tribute to the people who revolutionized the automotive industry with their larger-than-life murals, establishing brands young and old that are still around today.
On the Shoulders of Giants
Walking through the garage and admiring the mural feels like a cruise through the history of the automobile itself.
“What I think it says as a developer to me, is that we all face challenges right? These guys faced tremendous challenges in bringing their brands to life and turning them into something that is timeless it’s gone past their lives. But also, we’re all humans and we all have that same strength in you to do something great and go out and change outcomes.” said Burgess.
A tribute to the power of engineering and perseverance, parked right here in Naperville.
Naperville News 17’s Ryan Skryd reports.
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