History Comes Alive at Harlem Hospital with Reconstruction of Mural

NEW YORK, N.Y. — Pedestrians, cyclists and cab drivers are slowing down for a second look along one of Harlem’s busiest streets in New York City. A historic mural from the 1930s has been magnified, reconstructed and encapsulated into a glass façade at the Harlem Hospital in New York City. GGI collaborated with HOK New York City on the project.

This one-of-a-kind custom project features a glass mural, which consists of 429 individually printed panes of glass that together make a historic panorama depicting the migration and story of African Americans in the United States.

“We wanted to create a façade that used an all-glass curtainwall enlivened with a series of historic murals to describe the story of African Americans coming to the United States, from slavery through the Harlem Renaissance,” says Christopher Korsh, healthcare principal for HOK, New York City. “We had preliminary ideas about how to make this happen, but we had to begin researching how to get a full-color image as part of a curtainwall.”

According to David Balik, GGI President, “The glass mural is located in a corridor so that people passing through can look out onto the street scene. With changing light conditions throughout the day, we had to ensure the mural was visually intriguing at all times. To make it work, we had to constantly assess opacity, ink, consistency between panels, registration, framing and budget.”

The mural artwork was created during the Great Depression under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project. The Harlem Hospital Center murals were the first major commissions awarded to African American artists. After falling into disrepair, the murals were restored during the 1990s, enabling the architectural team to later immortalize the artwork in glass.

A dramatic addition to the streetscape, this mural provides larger-than-life artwork that represents significant history in the community — all captured on glass. In the end, the neighborhood will enjoy a seamless experience of art, history, community and aspiration.

“In the evening, the wall will glow like a beacon, as interior light shines through the semi-opaque images on glass. During the day, you can see the art from the inside and it will create a stained glass effect,” said Korsh. “