And speaking of original elements, there's nowhere better to wrap this set up than with the amazing mosaic mural on the side of the store! It seems that this was originally directly on the side of the building, and thankfully, when they expanded the store, Safeway realized its historic value (I'm looking at you, Publix) and relocated the entire section of wall to sit just outside the new building. Such a nice touch!
That's it for this store -- something new (and probably not from California) tomorrow!
Interesting how the airplane in the mural looks like a Boeing 707 or Douglas DC-8. Both of those would have been brand new in 1959 so this mural incorporates the latest technology at the time the mural was made!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm sure Safeway wanted their mural to be as modern as the store itself was meant to be!
DeleteInterestingly, it was Safeway's tile murals that inspired Publix to begin doing the same. When Publix's founder George Jenkins was on a trip to California he stopped at a Safeway at noticed the tile mural on the building (for all anyone knows, it could have been this very mural too). He loved it so much he hired John Garth (the same artist who made this one) to make murals for Publix stores, and John Garth made two for Publix before it was decided it would be cheaper to hire someone local to Florida to begin making the murals (which is when Pati Mills came into the picture). Of Garth's two Publix murals, one was destroyed in the 1980s when the Publix store it was on expanded (although it was recreated in Lakeland in 2018, ironically, on a different former Publix store: https://www.lkldnow.com/publix-tile-mural-re-created-at-a-former-publix-store/ ) The other Garth Publix mural survives, and was recently revealed after being painted over a few years ago: https://www.lkldnow.com/landmark-searstown-mosaic-mural-uncovered/
ReplyDeleteI wish Publix would take the time and care to save their murals, as they've destroyed so many of them over the years, always claiming there's no way to save them. Clearly, if Safeway can move the entire wall like this, there is a way!
Now that you mention that, I remember you telling me that before! These art pieces weren't particularly common on Marina stores as far as I know (I've only visited two with them, one of which I've posted about, and as for the other one, I'm not sure it's actually original), not like the Publix ones that were installed on pretty much every store, so it wouldn't surprise me if this was the exact one that started it all!
DeleteThat's so cool! It's a shame how so many of the Pati Mills Publix murals are hauled off to the landfill, but I suppose the company doesn't think they are too special since every store for a time received one. At least Safeway put in the effort to preserve this one!
Delete