Growth of a City - Camden, NJ
N 39° 56.658 W 075° 07.167
18S E 489795 N 4421581
This fantastic mural depicts the economic growth and history of downtown Camden. It is located on the rear of the The Camden County Aletha R. Wright Administration Building, the front, located along Cooper Street in the NRHP historic district.
Waymark Code: WM7X25
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 12/15/2009
Views: 6
The spectacular mural by Robert Dafford is located on Federal Street in Camden. It illustrates the great industrial history of the city and the people who made it possible. Featured prominently are the campbell soup company and the Victor Talking Machine company, two world renown companies which epitomize Camden's economic development in the 1940s. One might saw the entire city was built around these two corporate giants; they certainly employed most of the city.
Important Particulars
The city's seal and Camden County's seal are located on the bottom left and right of the painting. I have seen this pair of seals on the other government buildings in the area including this one, city hall and the justice building, to name a few. The shipping and locomotive industries are featured in the mural. The Benjamin Franklin Bridge looms large in the background. An RCA truck and the Victor building make up the bottom left of the building and a nineteenth century horse-drawn wagon hauling Campbell Soup products make up the bottom right corner of the mural. Finally, both assembly lines of the respective workers are featured as well.
The entire rear of the building has been redone to look like a city plaza. There are various benches arranged to view the mural. Brick pavers line the walkway with attractive landscaping as well. The area is dubbed Roosevelt Plaza and is part of the city's urban redevelopment plan. I imagine the mural is the crown jewel of the plaza.