Silver Spring Penguin Mural Set To Return to Longtime Location

It will be a replica of the original work that hung under Colesville Road bridge for more than 15 years

A close-up of the 100-foot long mural dubbed "Penguin Rush Hour" painted by artist Sally Callmer Metro

The Silver Spring penguins are coming back.

The mural of penguins using the Metro system was taken down from its spot below the rail system bridge on Colesville Road in downtown Silver Spring in 2006 when construction began on the Silver Spring Transit Center. Prior to that, the 25-panel, 100-foot-long mural painted on plywood had hung at the location since 1989.

Featuring penguins—some holding newspapers and briefcases—making their way through a Metro station and sitting inside a train, the mural was beloved by commuters and residents. The work was originally created by local artist Sally Callmer as part of a temporary art installation, but it became so popular that Metro decided to keep it in place.

Now, Montgomery County and Metro officials are working together to install a replica of the mural under the bridge near the Metro station.

County spokesman Patrick Lacefield said Wednesday Callmer’s plywood original was susceptible to the elements and rather than rehang it, the county has made an exact replica on aluminum. He did not immediately know how much the replica cost.

The county continues to store the original work where “it’s getting tender loving care,” according to Lacefield. Before the original had been taken down, parts of it had deteriorated and the work was in need of restoration.

Lacefield said the county didn’t want to risk re-installing the original out of fear that it would continue to deteriorate due to exposure to weather.

Part of the mural underneath the Colesville Road rail bridge. Credit: Flickr User Kate Mereand-Sinha

The wall under the bridge after the mural was removed. Credit: Flickr user taleswapper