The Historic Railroad Murals

Tom Quinn , Mural Series

In the mid-1990s, Spokane artist Tom Quinn was commissioned to create a series of public murals in Hillyard that honored the neighborhood’s deep railroad heritage. These murals, initiated by the Hillyard Steering Committee with support from local businesses and the Spokane Arts Commission, helped spark community pride during a period of revitalization.

Over the course of three years, Quinn completed at least three major murals in Hillyard—each telling a different part of the story, from the early arrival of trains to the laborers who built the town. Though some have since been lost, their impact on the community remains strong.

Mural #1: “Hill’s Yard” (1994)

Location: Unknown
Painted: Summer 1994
Artist: Tom Quinn
Supported by: Spokane Arts Commission, Hillyard Steering Committee, and local students
Status: Painted over in 2018

This was the first mural in Tom Quinn’s Hillyard series, completed in time for the 1994 Hillyard Festival. It depicts a stylized rail yard with multiple train tracks converging toward the Great Northern Railway roundhouse — a visual representation of Hillyard’s origin as a railway hub. At the forefront of the mural is a large portrait of James J. Hill, the rail magnate and namesake of “Hill’s Yard.”

“The public will get the artist’s depiction of 1900s-era Hillyard steam engines and onlookers.”
— The Spokesman-Review, July 28, 1994

This mural served as a foundational piece in Hillyard’s early efforts to revive neighborhood identity through public art. While exposed to decades of weather, the mural remains a ghost of its original self — faded but historically significant.

“Artist Tom Quinn included a portrait of railroad magnate Jim Hill in an outdoor mural prepared for the annual Hillyard Festival.”
— The Spokesman-Review, August 4, 1994

Mural #2: “Hillyard Rail Scene” – Post Office Wall (1995)

Location: (Former) Hillyard Post Office, Olympic Ave
Completed: July 1995
Status: Still standing

This large mural was painted on the west-facing wall of the Hillyard Post Office. It features another vivid rail scene, showing a steam locomotive, trackside buildings, and Great Northern-era workers. With brighter colors and more refined detail, this piece was meant to be more weather-resistant than the earlier mural.

Quinn was paid approximately $1,100 for the project, with funding split between the Spokane Railway Credit Union and local donors.

“I'd like to do maybe one a year… this one has more detail and a lot more color than the last.”
— Tom Quinn, The Spokesman-Review, July 27, 1995 (p. B5)

Legacy & Preservation

Tom Quinn hoped to paint one mural per year in Hillyard, but only a couple were completed before funding and circumstances shifted. Today, the Post Office mural remains a landmark, while the others have either faded or been painted over. This series is remembered as one of the first creative efforts to publicly reclaim and celebrate Hillyard’s working-class heritage through art.

If you have photographs of the original murals or stories to share, please contact us—we’re working to preserve the legacy of this important chapter in Hillyard’s artistic and cultural history.