A man has been arrested on charges he spray-painted the “Faith, Hope and Charity” Freemasons’ mural at Main Street and Jackson Avenue in downtown Naperville late Monday night.
Carlos Marcos, 43, of West Chicago, was taken into custody for misdemeanor criminal defacement to property in connection with the vandalism that occurred about 11:15 p.m.
The mural, created in 2011 by Marianne Lisson Kuhn, celebrates the 174-year history of the Freemasons in Naperville.
Marcos is accused of painting large swaths of black and red on the bottom of the artwork, which was commissioned by the Naperville Century Walk and sponsored by Euclid Masonic Lodge 65.
It’s not known what Marcos’ alleged motivation might have been, said Don Cowart, a master Mason and president of the Naperville Masonic Temple Association, who was notified of the mural’s defacement about 4 a.m.
“I wish we could sit down and have a cup of coffee with the man and just ask him what we can do to help him feel better because that’s what the Masons do,” Cowart said.
The Freemasons, a fraternal order sometimes viewed as mysterious or suspicious because it’s open only to members who take an oath to keep their rituals and activities secret, is “often devoted to fellowship, moral discipline and mutual assistance,” according to Britannica.com.
The mural was the 40th artwork to be done as part of the Century Walk, and initially was installed on the facade of Russell’s Dry Cleaners at Jefferson Avenue and Main. When that building was torn down, it went into storage in Cowart’s garage until it could be relocated to 227 S. Main St., Cowart said.
The lodge plans to have the mural repaired. They’ve already reached out to the artist to do the work, he said.
“This painting is ours but it is also the city’s so we have to protect and preserve it,” Cowart said.
The artwork depicts George Washington and Joseph Naper, founder of Naperville, wearing Masonic aprons as well as 12 famous American masons on one side and 12 well-known Naperville masons on the other.
