The decadent Sherry-Netherland Hotel located in Midtown East is known for its opulent walls and floors; however, its ceiling has been plain white for much of its recent history. This all changed with the uncovering and restoration of the 1927 Beaux-Arts mural. Here are 8 other murals around NYC that have been either uncovered or face preservation controversy.

1. Rockefeller Center, Man at the Crossroads

In 1934, John D. Rockefeller commissioned the artist Diego Rivera to paint a mural in the lobby of Rockefeller Center with the theme of “Man at the Crossroads Looking with Hope and High Vision to the Choosing of a New and Better Future.” Rivera was to construct a mural of “workers facing symbolic crossroads of industry, science, socialism, and capitalism,” reports PBS.

The work is centered upon a worker operating machinery with four large orbs sprouting out into the corners. Rivera also depicted Lenin to the right and an image of May Day. Rockefeller, not wanting an image of the Communist leader, destroyed the mural before completion. However, Rivera was able to recreate the work in Mexico City.

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