Developing Dynamic Communities
Our mission at Gilbane Development Company is to create true destinations and a sense of place, not only for our residents or clients, but for the entire community. We’re proud to bring our communities to life through both commissioned and publicly funded art, high-end architecture, and quality landscape design. Whether it be a custom sculpture or mural, a public park for all to enjoy, or a free concert or arts festival, we know that communities are enhanced and come together around the arts.
Fostering Social Engagement and Connection
Integrating site-specific artwork into architectural and public environments not only enhances the aesthetic appeal of these spaces but also catalyzes community engagement and cultural exchange. This art can serve as a bridge between people and cultures, offering both information and entertainment to passersby. Beyond beautification, public art can take on multiple roles—it can symbolize a cause, invoke historical reminiscences, or even reshape our understanding of the world. In essence, art has the power to advance causes, evoke memories, and ignite meaningful dialogues.
A Compelling Selling Point
Incorporating art into real estate development as an integral part of the process can not only evoke a connection to residents, visitors, and shoppers, but it can also become a distinguishing amenity for branding purposes. Creating a point of differentiation, and thus “Instagram-worthy” photo opportunities, has proven a useful tool in generating buzz around our new apartment communities – especially student housing developments. Striking murals and art installations can become popular backdrops for social media posts, a powerful marketing tool in attracting potential residents who want to be part of the vibrant community.
At Gilbane Development Company, our public art collection stretches coast to coast, and we bring our experience in commissioning/procuring art and working with local stakeholders to many of our developments.
30 East
30 East, a high-rise student-oriented community developed by Gilbane, sits in the heart of Chicago’s Wabash Arts Corridor (WAC) in the South Loop. WAC was launched in 2013 by Columbia College Chicago to immerse students in the creative spirit by using urban spaces and reclaimable resources to revitalize and transform the South Loop business district into one of the city’s major cultural assets. The area is regarded as a “living urban canvas” due to its ever-growing number of large-scale mural installations and collaborative projects.
As part of the development process and in support of reflecting the neighborhood culture, Gilbane worked with WAC to commission prominent local public artist and muralist Jeff Zimmermann to create original works in three locations within 30 East. His creation titled Beacon, spanning the entire west elevation of 30 East, is the tallest mural in the City of Chicago. The ground floors of the mural show jagged shards of color reminiscent of flames, while the big, multi-colored knot on its upper floors represents Chicago’s diverse population. When bound together, the people are stronger, Zimmermann said. “You bring them together with tension and force, they can work together as one whole,” Zimmermann said.
Gilbane also was a contributor to WAC’s Big Walls event, sponsoring the organization’s creative, intellectual community. As a donor and partner in reflecting the neighborhood identity, Gilbane is proud to play a part in making the South Loop neighborhood one of the most vibrant arts districts in Chicago.
Twin Parks West
As part of the New York City Housing Authority’s Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, Gilbane Development Company renovated Twin Parks West, a single u-shaped building constructed in 1974 with 312 units (rent-restricted at 50% AMI) that houses 825 residents in the Bronx. In addition to unit renovations, refurbishment of interior common spaces, and upgrades to the building exterior, the project aimed to breathe new life into the property’s outdoor space with enhancements such as fresh landscaping and new inner courtyard play areas.
Within the inner courtyard beside the playground, the property’s retaining walls have striking concrete pourwork on the lower portion, and rough work above. The Gilbane team turned to local illustrator Jesse Zhang for an artwork proposal that would allow us to leave the existing condition of the lower portion of the wall while beautifying the top portion in a meaningful way. She proposed a slightly surreal, 25-foot-wide hand-painted narrative mural and presented the concept to Twin Park West residents for feedback.
The result is Jesse’s mural titled Sunrise to Sunset, with figures placed along the landscape, interacting with the multiple suns and each other. The figures seamlessly blend into the landscape, painted with colors that harmonize with the skies and mountains, symbolizing a strong connection to our natural surroundings. Playground colors, like the blue flooring and orange play structure balls, were integrated into the mural and the leftmost mountain is seamlessly blended with the connecting wall, creating a natural extension. Jesse used negative space and the wall’s natural wear, resembling mountain lines, to unify the mural with the wall, respecting the “original canvas”. The mural took about a year to complete, from initial sketches to gathering resident feedback to the final painting.
“Bringing this concept to life has been one of my most challenging and rewarding projects so far, as it has pushed me creatively as an artist and as a painter,” said Jesse. “I’ve always wanted to create something for the purpose of community. It was rewarding to see the residents walking along the mural, seeing it up close, and spending their time in the space.”
Surfside Narragansett
At Surfside Narragansett, Gilbane revitalized an oceanside community through the redevelopment of apartments into luxury condominiums and new townhomes plus retail. As part of the renewal, Gilbane commissioned potter and muralist Mika Seeger and artist and educator Peter Geisser to create a public art feature beside Beach Street, facing the sea. The Waves of Narragansett is a 92-foot stoneware and porcelain relief made entirely by hand. The artists met in design sessions with executives from Gilbane Development Company, town councilors, artists, and historians from Narragansett. They spent many months researching the history of the town and talking with local experts. The mural consists of six vignettes that chronicle the town of Narragansett’s history.
Livingston Place at Southern
At Livingston Place at Southern, an affordable assisted living community in Washington, DC’s Ward 8, Gilbane Development Company commissioned local artist Aniekan Udofia to create an inspirational and striking exterior mural that pays homage to first responders. Aniekan is well known in the Washington, DC area for his transformative artwork and social commentary.
San Juan Passage
Public parks, art, and sculpture make San Juan Passage – a waterfront community with magnificent views to the San Juan Islands – distinctive. As part of the project, Gilbane Development constructed a waterfront trail along an abandoned railroad right-of-way that links San Juan Passage with downtown Anacortes, donated a 25-acre wetland and site of a former cannery to the City of Anacortes, and funded the creation of an interpretive nature trial within. Gilbane also constructed four new landscaped view parks and play areas within the community – all open to the public.
Tempo
At Tempo, an award-winning eco-friendly residential community for students attending the University of Maryland (UMD), the Gilbane Development team worked to secure an art grant from the City of College for our public art display that was installed on the building frontage within the covered pocket park/UM Shuttle Stop on Baltimore Avenue. Working with Gilbane, Younts Design created a large custom “M” sculpture that is emblematic of UMD and also incorporates the central letter of the Tempo name and brand. This structure, which now serves as an iconic architectural landmark, is made of acrylic tubes that stretch up to 12 feet tall. It was designed with internal RGB lighting in each tube that can be individually changed, keeping the brand mark dynamic and responsive. UMD prides itself on school spirit and, with this art installation, Tempo taps into that unique cultural element that residents and the public love while driving past the building to campus.
Altus
Altus, a purpose-built student housing community just 1,000 feet from the Towson University campus, features an eye-catching mural painted by a local artist who Gilbane commissioned to create a welcoming and visually appealing feature to connect the building with the neighborhood. The “Instagram-worthy” hand-painted art-wall not only transformed the side of Altus into a colorful canvas, but it has become a landmark drawing in students and the surrounding community.
257 Thayer
257 Thayer, student housing in Providence, RI, features original works of art including Rafi, a 250-pound bronze sculpture of an Indian Rhino by renowned wildlife sculptor Nick Bibby, and an illustration entitiled Rafi, The Pachyderm of Peerless Performance by Victo Ngai, a New York based illustrator from Hong Kong and Rhode Island School of Design graduate.
