- City:
- Brooklyn, New York City, NY
- Site Type:
- Art Works, Murals
- New Deal Agencies:
- Arts Programs, Work Relief Programs, Federal Arts Project (FAP), Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- Started:
- 1935
- Completed:
- 1938
- Artist:
- Edward Laning
- Quality of Information:
- Very Good
- Site Survival:
- Extant
Description
Edward Laning completed a mural entitled “The Role of the Immigrant in the Industrial Development of America” in 1938 for the Dining Hall in the Administration Building on Ellis Island with funding from the WPA’s Federal Art Project.
“The mural was 10 feet tall by 190 feet long…The sweep of the mural’s length echoed the grand scope of its narrative” that spanned American immigration history, geography, and industrial development. Unfortunately, “Most of the mural was ruined in the 1950s when a storm damaged the roof of the facility. Portions of original were salvaged in 1970, when Judge Jacob Mishler of the Eastern Court of New York had several panels restored and re-installed in the federal courthouse in Brooklyn. There, the panels hang in the ceremonial courtroom where immigrants are naturalized.” (Museum of Arts and Sciences)
The panels are still in place.
Source notes
National Archives and Records Administration, Negative 7340-C "Museum of Arts and Sciences: Lost Mural of Ellis Island", last accessed: September 2015Contribute to this Site
We welcome contributions of additional information on any New Deal site.
Submit More Information or Photographs for this New Deal Site3 comments on “Federal Courthouse Mural – Brooklyn NY”
Join the Conversation
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Eddie
Gabriel Milner
Andrew Sabori
Can you buy copies?
For this, you need to contact the courthouse directly.
In 2008 I reproduced the mural in it entirety and in a slightly smaller version. It reproduction is touring the US. If you are still interested in purchasing copies contact me at [email protected]
Andrew Sabori