Iconic Alexander's mural finally returning to Paramus for Valley hospital installation
The famed Alexander’s mural, a roadside landmark dismantled in Paramus 25 years ago, is finally making its homecoming at The Valley Hospital's new campus.
The mural’s panels were unboxed on Tuesday morning and installation in the Paramus hospital’s garden was set to begin on Wednesday, Erin Blake, Valley's manager for external communications, said on Tuesday.
Work to install the more than two dozen panels coming to the campus will continue throughout the month and will finish on or before Oct. 27, Blake said.
The iconic mural, composed of 280 panels, was created in 1962 by Polish-born artist Stefan Knapp, a World War II prison camp survivor. A giant burst of color in the gray commercial center of Bergen County, the artwork hung for years on the exterior of the Alexander's department store near Routes 4 and 17, where an IKEA now stands.
Knapp was commissioned to work on the 60-ton mural for $250,000. He once described his creation as "violent, terribly strong, and full of brilliant reds, blues and oranges."
He painted it in an airplane hanger in London, using a combination of enamel paint and glass to give it its signature look.
After Alexander's went out of business in 1998, the 200-foot-long panorama was taken apart. It made its way to various locations in North Jersey, including a former warehouse and a Public Works yard, before Valley announced in 2021 that some of the panels would come home to decorate the $868 million campus the hospital was building in Paramus.
Twenty-four pieces will be erected in the hospital's outdoor garden, said Blake. Other sections, including six panels displaying Knapp's outsized signature, will be installed inside.
Stephanie Noda is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: noda@northjersey.com
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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Alexander mural returning to Paramus NJ at Valley Hospital
