Florida artist replicating historic Czech sidewalk tiles

Some of the work Richard Moss is performing in the New Bohemia district of Cedar Rapids goes against his nature.

Moss, a Florida mosaic artist, is replicating the historic sidewalk tiles in front of the Chrome Horse Saloon, 1202 Third St. SE.

The tiles, which date from 1912 to 1915, promoted businesses in the predominately Czech commercial district.

In fragile condition, the sidewalk panels were removed as part of the Third Street streetscape project, with Moss tasked to recreate the tiles in their original space.

“We're calling them folk art or tramp art,” said Moss, who has worked at his craft for 35 years, with projects at Trump Towers, churches and elsewhere.

With that, Moss and others who studied the tiles realize the sidewalk panels were not so much art as they were advertisements, with various imperfections.

He pointed to a blue triangular Sinclair panel, promoting the former meatpacking plant's Fidelity brand.

The lettering is off-center, “which is something I would never do,” Moss said, as he strives for perfection in his own artwork. “That killed me to do in the studio.”

He knew, however, that the goal wasn't to create a work of art.

“This isn't an interpretation,” he said. “This is a replication.”

Moss consulted with Czech-speaking Cedar Rapids residents to understand the haceks and other diacritical marks of the Czech language.

To make the new tiles as accurate as possible, he also supervised their removal, taking detailed photos and notes.

“Most of them were so broken up from frost heave,” Moss said.

Workers also found several hidden under the street for years and one that had been destroyed when a gas pipe was installed.

“There were panels that weren't visible until the day of the tear-out,” he said.

Many of the original pieces and intact panels were saved by Jon Jelinek, owner of Parlor City Pub and Eatery, 1125 Third St. SE, and his son, Nick Jelinek.

The city's Historic Preservation Commission will determine where those tiles eventually will go.

Moss created wooden stencils –  more than 1,000 letters - at his Florida studio, which he inserted in the sidewalk poured by the construction crew.

He also painstakingly recreated the colors and bound together each porcelain tile in mesh sections to bring back to Cedar Rapids.

Moss spent part of Thursday and Friday removing the stencils and will continue working on the project, with hopes to finish by mid-week.

He occasionally interrupts his work to talk to curious passers-by.

“It's remarkable how many people maybe never stopped and studied the sidewalk, but knew it was there,” he said. “It does mean the town history to them.”