The Story Behind The Murals

It's early in the decade, 1934, and Frank Shaw wanted to open up a bar in the newspaper district of Chicago. It started out a small bar, but thanks to all of his friends, “Shaw's Blue Crab Lounge” grew into a fairly popular spot. Being a somewhat avid fisherman, Frank started serving seafood and the place really got busy…and bigger. At least that's how the story goes in Kevin Brown and Rich Melman's minds as they created the story line that was the beginning of Shaw's Crab House. Jazzy, funky and crisp.

Rich and Kevin quickly decided that painted murals, in the style of 1930's society caricatures, would be the perfect touch. Brushed directly on to the walls, the scenes would give a classy ambience to the new Shaw's lobby. Vanity Fair in the 1930's was publishing the work of Mexican born Miguel Covarrubias whose caricatures of East Coast society were all the rage. His murals at the 1938 World's Fair in San Francisco were widely praised as provocative and insightful.

In their relentless quest for excellence, Kevin and Rich sought to find a modern day Covarrubias in Chicago.

Thomas Kirk Melvin - Chicago Muralist

Born in New York City in 1952, Tom Melvin got an early sense of the world as a ten year old in Tokyo, Japan. After three years of culture shock he managed to get back to the East Coast and later attended Bennington College in Vermont earning degrees in Sculpture and Performance Art. Tom found work in theatrical scenery painting and giant architectural illusions for stage sets. These talents led him and his wife to Chicago where his mural painting style garnered him many commissions. It was soon thereafter he established the Thomas Melvin Painting Studio.

That's where Rich Melman found him. His works were already all over the country in beautiful architectural settings; banks, hotels, new shopping malls and office complexes. When Rich approached Tom about the Covarrubias-style execution for the Shaw's concept it was a natural fit. Tom was accomplished in the caricature style of that era and excited to collaborate with Rich and Kevin. The original 1985 mural at Shaw's in Chicago created an atmosphere of casual sophistication and has since become an essence in much of Shaw's brand presence. If you visit Shaw's in Schaumburg you'll see the latest mural from Tom's eclectic imagination; you can almost taste the fish as they jump off the walls above the staircase.