FAIRFIELD, CT - The Fairfield Museum is excited to announce that a $10,000 gift from Bank of America will match other private donations to help fund the restoration of a large-scale, historic piece of artwork that hung in a local bank for nearly 70 years. The 8’ x 20’ mural, Old Black Rock Harbor, c. 1810, by renowned Connecticut muralist Robert Lambdin was commissioned by the Black Rock Bank & Trust Co. in 1948 and hung in the bank located at the corner of Fairfield Avenue and Brewster Street until last year, when the long-abandoned building underwent a complete renovation. The Fairfield Museum worked with the building’s new owner Tom Quinn to rescue the mural, which had been damaged through years of neglect, and now Bank of America is the lead sponsor in its delicate restoration. Bank of America has a special interest in this project, as the bank acquired Black Rock Bank and Trust Co. in the 1990s.
The careful restoration of Old Black Rock Harbor is being conducted by the Williamstown Art Conservation Center in Massachusetts which is one of the top art conservation labs in the country. To date, $25,000 of the $30,000 cost of restoration has been raised through the generosity of Bank of America, as well as the Black Rock Community Council, Bruce and Michele Hubler, and Jack and Kay Collins.
Lambdin (1886-1981) of Westport spent two months researching Black Rock’s history at the Fairfield Historical Society (now the Fairfield Museum) and then three months working on the piece. It depicts Black Rock Harbor as he envisioned it in the early 1800s, with a ship unloading its cargo onto the docks and Black Rock lighthouse in the background. The mural was completed in 1948 and presented at an open house where the bank encouraged the public to come and view the new 8' by 20' scene.
During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Lambdin won several New Deal commissions through Works Progress Administration projects to depict American life in public buildings such as libraries, schools and post offices. Some examples of Lambdin's WPA wall art have been preserved in Westport, and the Fairfield Museum’s mural will be put on long-term display in the Museum’s Creating Communityexhibition.
“Bank of America is proud to invest in this important arts restoration project that preserves our local heritage and legacy in the Black Rock and Fairfield communities,” said Bill Tommins, Southern Connecticut market president, Bank of America.
Fairfield Museum Library Director Elizabeth Rose emphasized the importance of the mural and its preservation. “The mural,” she said, “helps us to imagine what the Black Rock port looked like when it was the center of the region’s economic life, with ships carrying the products of Fairfield’s farms to cities along the east coast as well as to the West Indies.”
“The Fairfield Museum has been deeply touched by the generosity of Bank of America, the Black Rock Community Council, Bruce and Michele Hubler, and Jack and Kay Collins who have all stepped forward to help rescue this important piece of Black Rock’s history,” said Fairfield Museum executive director Michael Jehle. “We hope to raise the final funds in time to unveil the restored mural as part of Black Rock’s 375th anniversary celebration in 2019.”
About the Fairfield Museum and History Center
The Fairfield Museum is a dynamic non-profit museum, library, cultural arts and educational organization founded in 1903 that provides families in Fairfield County and beyond with a wide array of exhibits and educational programs that teach regional history, celebrate a shared heritage, and prepare students and adults to be more active participants in their community to plan for a better future. The Fairfield Museum is an independent non-profit organization that relies on funding from individuals, corporations and foundations. The Museum is especially grateful for leadership support from the State of Connecticut, Town of Fairfield and Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.