Mural Proposal
The building you are next to is Hollybush. The Whitney family home when they still operated the Whitney Glassworks here in Glassboro. You’ll see a holly bush in the field representing the original holly bush that was torn down and the namesake for the Whitney’s mansion. Look down at the ground next to it, you’ll see a mural, the Architect of Glassboro, etched in South Jersey ironstone. Pictured at the bottom of the mural is the Hollybush mansion with its middle section point up towards the middle of the mural where Thomas Whitney stands holding a hammer and cross symbolizing the tools he used to create some of the other creations pictured in the mural. He did this with the new perspective he had acquired from traveling throughout Europe which expanded his world view and his way of thinking. In the Hollybush mansion below Thomas Whitney there are the materials that empowered him, pictured from bottom to top is South Jersey ironstone from his quarry in Mantua, glass panes representing the Whitney Glassworks, paint that also originates from the area, and a blueprint showing that these design decisions were his deliberate choices. The right side of the mural shows a train as Thomas Whitney was the chairman of the railroad that he brought to Glassboro which connected it with the outside world further changing the dynamic of the town. Above is the Saint Thomas Episcopal Church which was built from the same South Jersey ironstone as the Hollybush mansion. The church was heavily endorsed by Batsheba Whitney which is why she is the figure holding the bible in the right side of the Hollybush mansion. On the left, the farms and Whitney Glassworks are both shown to be these structures that Thomas Whitney had created for the town. It was where most residents worked and received their food from through the use of company dollars. Even the Franklin House, another historical building in Glassboro was influenced by Thomas Whitney as it too is made from South Jersey ironstone from his quarry. The Whitneys had an incredible impact on the town of Glassboro and influenced many aspects of how the town developed. Shown in the left wing of the Hollybush mansion are three figures, Thomas Whitney's wife and his son John Whitney were both caretakers and owners of the Hollybush mansion, however, the third figure is left as a shadow to encourage the audience to question who the new caretaker of the Hollybush mansion truly is. Viewers will also see a striking resemblance to the fire around Thomas Whitney that depicts his passion and fervor for his work. The center of the mural begins to look similar to a torch upon closer inspection, suggesting that although Thomas Whitney is no longer the Architect of Glassboro along with his family, there is a new torch to lead the way to the future. More powerful than Thomas Whitney, Rowan University has its future intertwined with Glassboro’s. Viewers must question whether the Architect of Glassboro and the Hollybush mansion have faded into history or have simply changed hands.