This patient-centered hospital building establishes a strong connection to its Harlem community by celebrating a historically significant mural at a civic scale.
The high-performance curtain wall facade replicates three colorful panels from a Works Progress Administration (WPA) mural uncovered and restored during the hospital modernization. Depicting scenes from the African diaspora, the artwork was digitally printed on the facade glass using ceramic ink. It soars 65 feet high and spans an entire city block.
More artwork—visible from the street and accessible from the hospital’s atrium—can be found in a permanent art gallery that features additional murals commissioned by the WPA in the 1930s.
As the new centerpiece of the Harlem Hospital Center, the Mural Pavilion unifies previously disconnected hospital facilities spread across seven buildings and two city blocks. The hospital’s centralized design brings together inpatient, emergency room and outpatient services under one roof and allows for future expansion with the addition of a future sixth and seventh floor.