Richard Haas painted Homage to Cincinnatus, the mural on the Brotherhood Building in front of you here in Cincinnati, Ohio. The mural depicts Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, the namesake of Cincinnati, and it occupies the face of the Brotherhood Building near the intersection of Central Parkway and Vine Street. Commissioned by the Kroger Company in 1983 in honor of their 100th year of business, this work began as a corporate centennial gesture that reached into the public life of the city.
Richard Haas’s mural has since become part of the streetscape; in 2015 it was restored by ArtWorks in collaboration with the original artist, a renewal that returned the commission from 1983 to the neighborhood where you stand now. As you pause, imagine the chain of decisions behind this painted homage: a city’s name, an artist’s hand, a company’s centennial, and a later restoration team coming together. The mural is a named piece of Cincinnati’s public art, a visible link between downtown and civic memory.
Take a slow turn in place so you can read the scene with your eyes. Restored by ArtWorks in 2015, this painted homage still watches over Central Parkway and Vine Street for you to read.