Residents of 54th Street rally to replace 25-year-old mural

The mural wall on 54th Street, on the side of the Citibank branch at the corner of Fifth Avenue, is being repainted for the fourth time since the early 1980s. The previous version was recently painted over as organizers prepare a new design meant to reflect today’s Sunset Park.

The new mural will feature two dancing women framed by vivid flowers representing the neighborhood’s different communities, along with a brownstone, a 54th Street sign and a piragua cart.

The first mural was painted in the early 1980s and featured trees, lampposts and buildings, with the waterfront and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in the foreground. The second was painted in the 1990s and was largely the same, with the addition of the Statue of Liberty and figures of children. A third version, taking up about half the wall’s height with a design meant to show the intersection of East and West culture, was painted in 2001.

Danielle Maistron, an artist born and raised in Brooklyn, was chosen by block members to lead the latest mural.

Joanna Slater, then in high school at Edward R. Murrow, works on the second 54th Street mural in the early 1990s.

Residents participated in the design process, sharing their favorite aspects of Sunset Park and meeting to develop concepts. Organizers said the current design represents those outlooks by including scenes from around the block and elements symbolic of different cultures. Painting is set to begin in March.

The BID is acting as the project’s fiscal sponsor and is relying on fundraising to offset the cost of the mural. Organizers said the arrangement allows them to pay all parties involved while continuing to support the Sunset Park community.

“I love the design,” said Kevin Cheng, who lives next to the wall. “I love the little nod to 54th Street specifically, but it also includes everything that Sunset Park is, the diversity, greenery and colors.”

The block sits within the Sunset Park South Historic District, a city-designated historic district between Fourth and Fifth avenues and 54th and 59th streets.

“It’d make sense that the old mural gave a conceptual view of the Verrazzano,” said Melissa de Valle Ortiz, a resident involved with many of the mural’s phases. “I get it, but for me it had to be more about the community we’re standing in.”

Joanna Slater, who helped paint the second mural as a kid, said she and other children filled in a silhouette that became part of the larger design.

“While current waves are represented, there is rich Irish, Norwegian and Puerto Rican history here as well,” Slater said of the 2001 design. “I think there are ways to incorporate all the dominant cultures of Sunset Park into it.”

Organizers say the planned mural spans the wall, with vibrant reds, oranges, pinks, greens and blues forming a scene of foliage and movement.

“I think because it’s so bold in terms of color and size, it’s making more of a statement,” said Alice Walsh, who has lived on the block for about 50 years and is the mother of Katie Walsh, one of the current mural project’s leaders.

De Valle Ortiz said she submitted a proposal to Neighbors Helping Neighbors, a nonprofit based in Sunset Park that provides homeownership assistance, and worked with them to secure funding, along with permission to repaint the mural in 2001. Twenty-five years later, she remains active in community meetings, helping plan and organize with her neighbors.

“It’s about bringing people together to bring change in a positive way,” de Valle Ortiz said. “It’s great to see and know Katie is spearheading the new mural and watching that evolution spill over into the next generation.”

Organizers are fundraising to make sure it does. Of the $20,000 needed, they have raised nearly $4,000 so far.

“I just hope it happens, you know?” Walsh said. “Katie, along with other folks, are working hard to make it happen. I hope people who are capable can step up. This is not a wealthy neighborhood, so there’s only so much that local people can contribute.”

Slater said businesses and government should support the project.

“The current mural sat decaying and covered in graffiti for way too long,” she said. “Fundraising should not be a barrier.”

Residents say the mural has become a symbol of how neighbors on the block show up for one another.

“I’ve never been a part of a community quite like 54th Street,” Cheng said. “Everyone cares and looks out for each other. We want this block to be the best it can be, and the mural is just the start.”

As different groups immigrate to Sunset Park and organizations like the BID and the block association work to make the neighborhood safer, residents say the mural’s design has evolved to better represent the community, remaining an important part of showcasing the block’s diversity and cultural importance.

“It’s great to see the mural reflect Sunset Park’s evolving demographic and capture our historic views, landmarks and cultural diversity,” de Valle Ortiz said. “If these times have taught us anything, it’s to never forget where you started or come from, and always leave a legacy that you can be proud of.”

Organizers are holding a fundraiser for the mural at Sunset Stoop, 4114 5th Ave., on March 6, starting at 7 p.m.

A flyer for a March 6 fundraiser at Sunset Stoop to support the new mural. Image by Joyce Lau

You can donate to the mural’s GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sunset-park-community-mural