The Valley Hospital Brings the Iconic Alexander’s Mural Home to Paramus
PARAMUS, NJ, September 30, 2021 — Valley Health System is bringing the iconic Alexander’s mural back home to Paramus after a 30-year hiatus.
The panels will find their new home on the campus of The Valley Hospital, currently being constructed in Paramus. The panels will be within the hospital as well as in the gardens that surround the campus.
“We are delighted to be able to bring the Alexander’s mural home to Paramus as part of our new hospital campus,” said Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of The Valley Hospital and Valley Health System. “This new hospital will allow us to raise the bar in all that we do. It will revolutionize how we deliver extraordinary healthcare, strengthen our ability to help people in our community live healthier lives, and provide the flexibility necessary to adapt to changes in healthcare delivery.”
The 200-foot-long mural, made of 280 4-by-8-foot panels of enamel and glass on steel, was created by Polish artist Stefan Knapp, a WWII prison camp survivor, and was installed on the Alexander’s department store building in Paramus in 1964. The murals were saved when Alexander’s, which was located near the intersection of Routes 4 and 17, closed in 1992. In 2015, the panels were put on display in the Art Factory, an artists’ studio space at a former textile mill in Paterson. The Bergen Museum of Art & Science has served as a steward of the mural.
“Paramus is proud to be the future home of The Valley Hospital and the inclusion of the panels in its design is yet another example of the positive impact Valley his having in our community,” said Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera. “Thank you to Valley for listening to our residents, paying tribute to our community's history, and bringing the mural back home.”
“These panels are a big part of the borough’s history, and incorporating them into the new Valley Hospital will allow the community to once again share in their beauty,” said Joseph Lorino, Vice President of Facilities Management, Valley Health System. “We are very pleased that the Knapp panels are coming back to Paramus.”
The hospital will use about 50 of the 280 panels to decorate various areas around the new hospital and inside the hospital itself, according to Robin Goldfischer, Senior Vice President of Legal Services, who spearheaded the acquisition of the mural.
“There is a tremendous amount of interest in these panels,” Goldfischer said.” They are spectacular works of art.”
The new hospital is scheduled to open in December 2023.
The Valley Hospital Foundation is currently accepting donations to name individual panels on the campus. For more information about these opportunities, please contact the Foundation at 201-291-6300 or at VHF@ValleyHospitalFoundation.org
Photo Caption: Valley Health System is bringing the iconic Alexander’s mural back home to Paramus after a 30-year hiatus. Shown here are renderings of how panels from the mural will be displayed on the new hospital’s campus.