5. East 83rd Street, Yorkville
Haas’ mural on East 83rd Street in Yorkville, titled Glockenspiel, was the solution to a dispute between building owners. Residents in the apartment building The Cielo sent in complaints saying that the side of the building across the street was an eyesore. To remedy this issue, Haas was commissioned to create a 77-foot-wide mural to make the building more visually appealing.
The inspiration for this mural, as is the case for most Richard Hass murals, came up from the history of the area. This part of Manhattan used to have a large German population. The mural, created in 2005, shows the inner workings of a clock, like the famous Glockenspiel at New Town Hall in Munich. With hands that never move off of 4 p.m., the clock features a pair of mounted New York City police officers that you can imagine making the rounds as the gears turn. The police officers stand in for traditional figures you might expect to see on a German clock, a small but impactful way Haas has personalized the work to its geographic location. “The work is always carefully thought out and never just an approach of painting on window boxes or putting in random architectural details or cute animals,” Haas said. His intention is to “put information and subject matter out that will hold the attention of people who see the murals frequently” and he hopes that viewers will make new discoveries of references he has included each time they pass by.
