It's been a long, strange journey for the Alexander's mural. Here's how it was saved

It's official: The famed Alexander’s mural is back home in Paramus as part of the new Valley Hospital.

“If you grew up in the area, it was iconic,” hospital CEO Audrey Meyers said Oct. 19, as the hospital completed its installation of the remaining panels of the long-traveled artwork.

“The fact that we’re able to bring some of that back and share that with the community is great.”

Construction workers that day put the last of the 18-foot mural displays in place outside Valley's new $868 million hospital off Route 17. It was a long-awaited homecoming for a monumental piece of art crafted in an aircraft hangar and created by a former Soviet gulag prisoner and British fighter pilot.

The 200-foot-long mural, composed of 280 panels and created by Polish-born artist Stefan Knapp in 1961, was once one of Bergen County's most prominent landmarks. Travelers passing through the tangle of shopping malls and highways at the intersection of Routes 4 and 17 were greeted by a burst of colors swirling on the exterior of Alexander's department store.

Some thought it vibrant; others, gaudy.

The panels were removed when the store went out of business in 1998. IKEA now occupies Alexander's former location.

Bringing the mural back home to Paramus was an idea that started in 2018, when then-Mayor Richard LaBarbiera suggested it to Meyers.

Hunting the Alexander's mural

“He mentioned that the panels were in storage, and I think periodically they came out and people got to see some of them,” Meyers said. “It was a germ of an idea, and we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing to bring it back to our community?’”

Robin Goldfischer, the hospital's senior vice president of legal services, went to work trying to find out who had ownership of the mural.

After they were disassembled, the panels were originally meant to be displayed at the Bergen Museum of Art & Science in Hackensack. But the museum lacked adequate space for the artwork, so the mural began to travel. Some sections were eventually sent to Paterson's Art Factory, a former industrial space-turned-wedding venue. Others were kept in the Department of Public Works yard in Garfield.

Goldfischer discussed the hospital’s vision for Knapp's creation with the Bergen Museum, and after getting the green light, the effort to bring the mural home began.

Over the years and through various moves, many of the panels were lost. Of the mural’s original 280 sections, Valley is in possession of 200, said Ken Parker, director of communications. The hospital has chosen 48 for display. The fate of many of the missing pieces is unknown.

“They were outside in a DPW yard leaning against the side of a building in, partially, what I would call a mud pile,” Goldfischer said. “Who knows what happened over the years?”

After collecting the pieces it could find, the hospital had another challenge: The panels had backing material made of zinc and asbestos, the latter a common construction material until its harmful health effects became known.

Contractors worked to remove the asbestos from the 200-pound, 4-by-8-foot panels and replaced it with an “aerodynamic board” that both stabilized the structures and reduced their weight considerably. Art conservators also worked to clean years of tar and pollution off the panels.

'Every panel is like a jewel'

Meyers said “every panel is like a jewel,” and those involved in putting together the display had to figure out the best combination of panels.

Many of the panels are now displayed in the hospital’s garden area, mounted on three-sided frames that hold two panels apiece; lights will illuminate the art for visitors at night. Other sections, including those displaying Knapp’s signature, are being placed inside the main building.

Panels will also be displayed at the hospital's medical arts building at 140 E. Ridgewood Ave. and at the Robert and Audrey Luckow Pavilion, where Valley's cancer center resides, across the street from the new hospital.

“This was Stefan Knapp’s way to bring modern art to the masses,” Goldfischer said. “With the re-envisioning, it keeps with the artist's intent.”

Knapp, a World War II prison camp survivor, was commissioned to work on the 60-ton mural in the 1960s for $250,000. He once described his creation as "violent, terribly strong, and full of brilliant reds, blues and oranges."

He painted the work in an aircraft hanger in London, using a combination of enamel paint and glass to give the mural its signature look. He considered the mural a "map of the world," inspired by the views he saw from the sky as a fighter pilot for the Royal Air Force after he escaped from the gulag.

Goldfischer said the Alexander’s mural, along with other art that the hospital displays, is meant to create a relaxing environment for patients and visiting families.

“They are going through a stressful time, and I think looking out the windows and seeing these magnificent structures will be soothing and distracting for people who are sometimes undergoing difficult times,” she said.

Correction: Based on information from Valley Hospital, a prior version of this story understated the number of panels now in the hospital's possession. It currently has 200.

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

Twitter: @snoda11

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Alexander's mural ends journey at Valley Hospital in Paramus