EVELETH—Craig Ritacco is an avid historian of the City of Eveleth and says he is learning something new every day.
In true Eveleth style, he has a nickname: “Figgy,” just as his dad and late grandpa, both named John “Figgy” Ritacco.
Ritacco grew up in Eveleth, graduating from high school in 1985, and lives with his family in Minneapolis.
He said in an email: “In 2022, I reached out to the Rock Ridge School Board and Willie Spelts (school official) to ask them if they would be willing to donate items of ‘historical significance’ to our nonprofit foundations to preserve and protect these items within the City of Eveleth. There were trips to Eveleth to check on Mom and Dad and tours of the school. Photos of all the items were taken and presented to the school board. The Franklin School mural was one of the items. The school board agreed to our proposal. At this time, the mural was put on hold as there was discussion as to ownership of the mural as it is a WPA project back to 1938.”
Ritacco is currently on the board of directors for the Eveleth Heritage Society and Eveleth Area Community Foundation.
Two years after submitting the first proposal, in February of this year, Ritacco said he “submitted another request to the school board for access to the mural as the closing and demolition of the Franklin Elementary School was approaching. At this time, we were granted permission to try to remove the mural.”
Ritacco said, “I spent countless hours on the phone with Minnesota Historical Society, Midwest Conservation Company, Duluth Institute of Art, and others trying to find information and a process/company to try to remove the mural. John Snidarich, fellow board member of the Eveleth Heritage Society, directed me to artist Gareth Andrews of Zim. (Andrews did the bronze eagle sculpture for the veterans memorial in Virginia.) After speaking with Andrews, he did an inspection of the mural. Knowing demolition was upcoming, we had to move fast. Gareth was confident he could remove the oil on canvas from the wall.”
Ritacco said he has “fond memories of the Franklin School, friends and still friends, Mr. Lavato, Mr. Kochevar, Mrs. Vito, and countless others, the custodial staff that always met you with a smile and guided you through the day.
“I remember the mural when I attended the school. It was in the cafeteria back then, it’s now the library.
“For me, it was the books our parents read us as children that came to life in the cafeteria.
“The mural was always there watching over us kids at the lunch hour, along with the staff. Very whimsical.”
Ritacco was determined to see the mural preserved. “We came up with a plan with Gareth in a few phases. First would be the attempted removal of the mural from the wall. Second would be the archival preservation of the mural and third would be to find a new and permanent home for the mural in the City of Eveleth.
“I am happy to let you know the mural is safely off the wall and safe. Gareth has recommended that the mural be put on an acid-free backing as the mural is 85 years old and will need the support to be displayed moving forward. Then the mural can be fully restored and displayed in its future permanent home,” Ritacco said.
“This my first preservation project. I learned a lot about the process and will learn more as we are not done yet.
“It was fun and sad at the same time, going through the school and removing historical items, and yet we felt it was important at the same time.
“I feel that the demolition of the schools will mark a significant loss to the City of Eveleth’s identity. At the same time, the consolidation was inevitable. The mural is our history. It’s where we, our parents and grandparents went to school with friends and cheered on our Golden Bears.
“Does it matter if it’s an old trophy or a mural? It’s our history and we should all do what we can to preserve it.
“After going through the process, I would like to thank Willie Spelts, without whom this project would not have been possible.”
The Eveleth Historical Society is seeking donations to help with the associated cost of the removal and preservation of the WPA mural as it will cost several thousand dollars.
Donations can be sent to:
Eveleth Historical Society
PO Box 333
Eveleth, MN 55734
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Ritacco and his wife of 26 years, Val, live in Minneapolis. He is a partner at the Lexington Restaurant in St Paul. The Ritaccos have two grown daughters, Gabrielle, 23, and Sophia, 22. Ritacco’s mother is Donna Morelli Ritacco, daughter of the late Zasimo and Regina Morelli. Ritacco’s late grandmother was Dolly Rozinka Ritacco.
Ritacco’s wife, Val, is from Neenah, Wisconsin. On a light-hearted note, he said, “She puts up with all my Eveleth stuff.”
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