Heritage Society Open House to Display Mural Reproduction

Submitted by the Odenton Heritage Society

 
On May 5, from 1-4 p.m., the Odenton Heritage Society will unveil a 3 ½-foot wide reproduction of the 1948 National Plastic Products Company mural in the OHS museum. The new display captures the vivid colors, details, and artistry of the semicircular wall mural in a panoramic format. It allows visitors to study the mural images close-up and understand their meaning.

The National Plastic Products Company, which made Nevamar laminated surfaces, Saran fibers, and other products, moved its headquarters into a new, streamlined building on Route 170 in the 1940s.  The company commissioned a mural for the rotunda in the main lobby. Fifty years later, the Odenton Heritage Society was given permission to photograph the mural.

Composed of numerous scenes with symbolic human figures, tools, and machinery, the mural shows how humankind learned to convert raw materials into useful finished products over many centuries. According to a company brochure, some scenes represent disciplines such as alchemy, chemistry, the flame of knowledge, applied machinery, power, mining, and other uses of natural resources.  Other scenes show specific processes, including primitive weaving, machine weaving, synthetic weaving, and molded, extruded, and laminatedproduction methods.  Iconic objects shown in the mural include electrical transformers, a bridge, and a loom.

The mural artist, Nathan Imenitoff, was born in Eastern Europe but spent most of his career in Paris. In the summer of 1948, he lived with an Odenton family for several weeks while he painted the mural. Imenitoff, 64, wore French wooden shoes and could be heard clumping along the town’s streets as he walked to and from the plastics factory. 

The National Plastic Products Company, owned and operated by the Winer family, was Odenton’s largest employer. It made laminated countertops, Saran fibers for paint brushes, doll hair, and automobile upholstery,and many other products.  Its successor company, Nevamar Corporation, ended production in 2004.

The buildings are now gone, making way for new development of a mixed use project known as Academy Yard, paying homage to what has gone before. Developer StonebridgeCarras, LLC, the owner of Academy Yard, engaged Olin Conservation to treat and carefully remove the two sections of the mural, now in storage.  “This is an important piece of Odenton’s history.” said Ellen Miller, a principal of StonebridgeCarras.  “We have always hoped to find a place where the restored mural could be on display for generations to come.  We are increasingly optimistic that this dream can be realized.”

The Odenton Heritage Society Museum is located at 1367 Odenton Road, one block west of Piney Orchard Parkway.  Museum hours are 1 pm to 4 pm on the first Sunday of the month.  Admission is free, and parking is available.  For more information, visit www.odentonheritage.org