While walking through Delray Beach's Pineapple Grove Arts District, this brightly colored caught my attention immediately and I had to stop for a closer look. I love the beautiful colors and its tribute to Delray Beach's history has a major supplier of pineapples at the turn of the century.
Delray Beach was once a center of pineapple cultivation. By the early 1900s, pineapples had become the city's primary crop, with trainloads of the fruit shipped north to markets across the country. Japanese farming pioneers of the Yamato Colony, including George Morikami, also cultivated pineapples in the area. By the mid-1910s and 1920s, however, drainage projects that lowered the water table, plant diseases, and increasing competition caused the once-thriving pineapple industry to decline.
Although the pineapple fields are long gone, their legacy lives on in the name Pineapple Grove Arts District which was once a genuine pineapple grove and an important center for processing the fruit. Today the neighborhood is filled with boutiques, bistros, and galleries.
In 2008, mural artist Anita Lovitt created the mural "Dancing Pineapples' on the east wall of the Chloe Building, now known as The Deb. For the next 13 years, anyone approaching the archway to Pineapple Grove on Northeast Second Avenue was greeted by the playful dancing pineapples, a symbol of hospitality and a warm welcome. In the summer of 2021, water damage required repairs to the building, including new stucco and windows. The work left gray patches on the wall, ruining the mural.
A new replacement mural was commissioned by the artist Grabster, real name is Marcus Borges, a 40-year-old artist originally from Mineola, Long Island, who now lives in Fort Lauderdale. The name came from his teenage years immersed in New York's hip-hop culture. He is a Brazilian born, South Florida based street artist, muralist, and abstract graffiti writer known for his retro futuristic style, geometric designs, and tropical color schemes. He has collaborated with major brands like Red Bull, Formula 1, and OnlyFans. Lee Cohen, who owns and manages the building with his family. The proposal was approved by Delray Beach's Public Art Advisory Board on March 27 and the mural was paid for by the Cohen family.
The new mural is thirty percent larger than the previous one and fills the entire 88 by 25 foot wall with colorful pineapples, palm trees, and seabirds. It took a week and half to complete the mural with some done by roller and the rest by freehand and spray paint. I love how the bold color choice captures the vibrant energy of Delray Beach. Although Dancing Pineapples is no more, Grabster has replaced the mural with something equally whimsical and captivating. It is a great addition to downtown Delray Beach.
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