The project involved enlarging a 4’ x 6’ finished oil painting titled "Liberty" into a 75 x 50 foot mural and then installing this mural over a building at 59 Maiden Lane. The painting, created by Julie Harvey, is simple in its concept. It suggests that our present was built upon the foundations our forefathers placed many years ago. The Statue of Liberty is reflected in the mirrored facade of a skyscraper. Areas of this colorful contemporary facade have been removed exposing a pen and ink drawing that illustrates the neighborhood’s lively past. Early 19^th century New York emerges revealing the cobblestone streets, horses and carriages, gentlemen with top hats, and ships in the seaport. Ms. Harvey has also included the old shipping barrels, lamp posts and even pigs that ran freely around Lower Manhattan.

        This 6-foot painting served as the model for the 75-foot enlargement. An independent contractor scanned a 4" x 5" transparency, and through a digital process, enlarged it by sections on flexible vinyl. These sections were then fused together forming a tremendous vinyl painting. When the enlargement process was complete, a contractor installed the vinyl mural on the building by hanging from electric scaffolding. They used brackets to attach the mural at the top and gradually unrolled it as they worked their way down. The finished mural now looks like a gigantic artwork exhibited on the exterior of a building.

        The Liberty Mural was presented to the community as a visual expression of the foundations from which our city and nation were established. Visitors and immigrants from around the world now sense the powerful display of hope as Ms. Liberty guards from above. The mural hangs high near Liberty Street and Maiden Lane and reflects Lower Manhattan’s historic past while proudly looking toward the Millennium.