By If you google Stoddard Theater on Broadway at 2431 Broadway, the New York Public Library’s digital collection will yield a small black and white photo (inset) of the Upper West Side theater taken in 1933 by Wurts Bros., a professional photography company. The image clearly captures many architectural details, evoking an era when two and three-story buildings were common on Broadway. It includes passersby (who may have been posed). In short, “This Thomas Lamb-designed theatre opened in 1914, and became a movie house in 1919…It was demolished in 1986.” 1)
It’s not surprising why this photo was chosen for a mural destined to connect with the residential community of that part of the Upper West Side. Here in one shot, you’ve got buildings, businesses and people.
The mural at TD Bank at 2400 Broadway (between 88th-89th Streets) greets you immediately as you enter the bank. Installed when the branch opened in 2013, essentially, it presents a story of the theater within a bank scenario.
The mural is an example of a TD initiative to celebrate the history and culture of a location where a TD Bank is located. This particular mural, measuring about 7.5′ x 13′ highlights the long-gone historic theater once located across Broadway with its carriage entrance on 90th Street.
Relating to the neighborhood of a specific TD branch, this mural is part of an initiative launched almost 20 years ago by the bank. There are now about 135 TD Banks across the five boroughs displaying such neighborhood-specific murals. Typically, the original photos from which the murals have been made were culled with the assistance of local libraries and historical organizations.
Liberties were taken with some of the locations (in terms of distance from the bank) depicted in the murals. The mural at the branch at 69th Street and Broadway, is a wonderfully informative scene developed from a New York Historical Society photo. It features Hammerstein’s Roof Garden, (Victoria Theater,) dated around 1908. And, along with capturing the billboards for shows such as Salome starring Gertrude Hoffman, you’ll observe daily activities like road repair, handcart deliveries…women wearing long dresses typical of the times, and men with suits and straw hats.
Computer technology is essential to creating these works of art starting with vintage photos which are enlarged many times, colorized and then affixed to the walls. There are variations on this approach. Recently for example, when the TD branch at 1900 Broadway on West 62nd Street was entirely renovated, the mural depicting Columbus Circle was removed. A new, much larger mural stretches across an entire wall of contemporary-style cubicles. Its theme is the arts including a stylized figure of a dancer, a cellist and other performers. Other murals on the Upper West Side include a collaged scene in the TD Bank located in the Ansonia on Broadway at the corner of 74th Street.
TD Bank‘s enthusiasm for murals related to a neighborhood’s historic culture was launched in the late 1990s with the start of the bank’s ongoing relationship with Philadelphia-based artist/entrepreneur Jane Golden, Executive Director of founder/executive director of the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Among many other achievements Mural Arts was influential in establishing Philadelphia as “The Mural Capital of the World.” Although not involved with projects in NYC, the Mural Arts website notes Golden’s influence in murals and mural making and supporting young artists throughout the US and in many parts of the world. 2)
Beyond TD‘s commitment to the mural-making concept, TD‘s involvement with the art world encompasses its corporate art collection begun in Canada in 1968, and currently contains approximately 6000 objects. 3)
Demonstrating an ongoing corporate interest in showcasing broad diversity among the contemporary artists whose work becomes part of TD’s collection. In Philadelphia, Mural Arts has put out calls for fellowship opportunities for Black mural artists. 4) And, in NYC, an example of encouraging young and or less-known artists was announced in August 2019:
“NEW YORK, Aug. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — TD today announced its partnership with The Shed, the new arts center on Manhattan’s Far West Side, as lead sponsor of the “Open Call” artist commissioning program. Along with TD Securities and TD Bank Group, TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank® is investing $1.5 million to support a large-scale initiative dedicated to developing and presenting new works from artists based in New York City who have not yet received major institutional support.” 5)
Alan Nossen, TD Bank Retail Market President in New York City explains:
TD Bank believes in preserving the heritage of those communities that have contributed to the growth of the region. We do this through murals and other artwork in our stores. Previously, the murals depicted historic photographs of key locations that are significant to the people and communities where the stores are located. These photo murals were created by colorizing and enhancing old black and white photographs. Today, TD leverages art to reflect on modern day representations of the local area, including iconic landmarks and community history. In some cases, we look for opportunities to work with artists who have ties to the communities we serve in an effort to amplify diverse voices in the arts and enrich the lives of our customers, colleagues and communities.
References:
1) http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/3367
3). https://www.iaccca.com/collection_iaccca-contemporary_art-75.html?PHPSESSID=7pqgvm7n