The Old Station
Collection: Houston Public Library (HPL)
1953
Watercolor
Location:
Houston Public Library Central Branch Art Vault
500 McKinney St
Houston, TX 77002
About the Artwork:
Missouri Pacific Station (1953)
by Mary Ellen Shipnes
Artist Mary Ellen Shipnes, born in Indiana in 1908, settled in Houston in 1944 until her death in 2001. She was known for her watercolor and oil paintings and fascination with architecture and historic buildings, even helping to co-found The Heritage Society in 1954 to preserve the 1847 Kellum-Noble House from demolition. Here, Shipnes presents a building in watercolor that is noted as the Missouri Pacific Station in Houston, TX, as shown by the iconic red, ‘buzzsaw’ logo. The Missouri Pacific Railroad, also known as MP, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River that operated between 1872-1992. The MP had several passenger trains, known as Eagles, with routes that either started or stopped in Houston to New Orleans, Brownsville, St. Louis, and more. Though many of those routes stopped at the Union Station in Downtown Houston, this watercolor painting shows a modest station made of brown brick with a spire, both with green roofs. Note the smoke coming from the train, the red open-top railcar, and a 1940s-style sedan parked out front. Shipnes has preserved this moment in time in her own way.
Estación de Missouri Pacific (1953)
por Mary Ellen Shipnes
Missouri Pacific Station (1953)
by Mary Ellen Shipnes
Artist Mary Ellen Shipnes, born in Indiana in 1908, settled in Houston in 1944 until her death in 2001. She was known for her watercolor and oil paintings and fascination with architecture and historic buildings, even helping to co-found The Heritage Society in 1954 to preserve the 1847 Kellum-Noble House from demolition. Here, Shipnes presents a building in watercolor that is noted as the Missouri Pacific Station in Houston, TX, as shown by the iconic red, ‘buzzsaw’ logo. The Missouri Pacific Railroad, also known as MP, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River that operated between 1872-1992. The MP had several passenger trains, known as Eagles, with routes that either started or stopped in Houston to New Orleans, Brownsville, St. Louis, and more. Though many of those routes stopped at the Union Station in Downtown Houston, this watercolor painting shows a modest station made of brown brick with a spire, both with green roofs. Note the smoke coming from the train, the red open-top railcar, and a 1940s-style sedan parked out front. Shipnes has preserved this moment in time in her own way.
Estación de Missouri Pacific (1953)
por Mary Ellen Shipnes
La artista Mary Ellen Shipnes, nacida en Indiana en 1908, se estableció en Houston en 1944 y residió allí hasta su muerte en 2001. Era conocida por sus acuarelas y pinturas al óleo, así como por su fascinación por los edificios históricos, llegando incluso a cofundar la Sociedad del Patrimonio en 1954 para preservar la Casa Kellum-Noble de 1847 y evitar su demolición. Aquí, Shipnes presenta un edificio pintado en acuarela que se identifica como la estación de Missouri Pacific en Houston, Texas, como lo demuestra el icónico logotipo rojo en forma de sierra circular. El ferrocarril Missouri Pacific Railroad, también conocido como MP, fue uno de los primeros ferrocarriles de los Estados Unidos al oeste del río Mississippi y operó entre 1872 y 1992. La compañía ferroviaria MP contaba con varios trenes de pasajeros, conocidos como Eagles, cuyas rutas comenzaban o terminaban en Houston, con destinos como Nueva Orleans, Brownsville, St. Louis, y otros. Aunque muchas de esas rutas hacían parada en la Estación Central del centro de Houston, esta acuarela muestra una estación modesta de ladrillo marrón con una aguja, ambas con tejados verdes. Obsérvese el humo que sale del tren, el vagón descubierto de color rojo, y un sedán de estilo de la década de 1940 aparcado delante. Shipnes ha inmortalizado este momento en el tiempo a su manera.