- City:
- Norwalk, CT
- Site Type:
- Murals, Art Works
- New Deal Agencies:
- Federal Arts Project (FAP), Arts Programs
- Artist:
- Harry Townsend
Description
“The city of Norwalk, Conn., has one of the nation’s largest surviving collections of W.P.A. murals, thanks to a restoration effort in the 1980s that preserved nearly two dozen in the old Norwalk High School, now City Hall. The rescued artwork is on display there, while other murals decorate Norwalk Community College, the city’s public library and maritime aquarium, and other public places.
Though many of the murals depict scenes from local history, several are more exotic: Five murals by an artist named Arthur G. Hull illustrate imagined scenes from the travels of Marco Polo. The Hull murals are on permanent display in the Norwalk Transit District’s headquarters. A spokesman for the Transit District, Louis Schulman, said the agency ‘persuaded the city to twist our arm to use some federal money to document the city’s mural collection.’ The agency photographed each mural and published a book about the collection several years ago.” (NY Times)
This 18′ x 9′ mural “Purchase of Norwalk,” was painted by Harry Townsend in 1937 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project. It was commissioned for the Common Council Chamber of the former City Hall, and was restored circa 1986.
Source notes
Norwalk Historical Society, https://norwalkhistoricalsociety.org/wpa-murals-norwalks-hidden-treasure/.
Site Details
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