College Park’s Marathon Deli Mural Celebrates its Greek Heritage

Marathon Deli’s new location along Route 1 in College Park has got a bright mural lighting up the building’s facade. Check out the story behind this Greek-inspired mural and the organization behind its design.

Mural Brightens Marathon Deli’s New Route 1 Location

This new mural was commissioned by Marathon Deli and created by Art B.L.O.C. DC, an artist-based advocacy group with a focus toward creation of public art. Cory Stowers – the founder of Art B.L.O.C. DC – hails from Hyattsville was also one of the driving forces behind the colorful Bursting on the Scene mural at the West Hyattsville Metro.

We caught up with Cory a while back and asked about this new mural along the Route 1 corridor in College Park. Here’s what he shared:

“As with all Art Bloc DC projects, I look to work with younger artists from our Double Down Kings graffiti collective, matching what they create, with opportunities to paint large scale works.

In this instance I selected Freddy Castillo an artist I have worked with for the past 15-years who has never had a public commission.

I made this pairing based off of the current work Freddy is doing on canvas interpreting classic Greek and Roman images into street art style portraits with graphic treatments. Freddy’s original painting titled “Opari”, serves as the inspiration behind the piece.

Freddy and I worked together to design and install the work with some assistance from
Maria Miller and Freddy’s son Christian, we finished off the mural with hand painted branding for Marathon giving them a distinct visual presence on Route 1.”

Marathon Deli’s Grand Opening

Breaking news: Marathon Deli will be opening the doors to its new location along Route 1 on Monday, August 17th!

Public Art Along the Route 1 Corridor

Dig public art? Then check out these posts and then make a visit to see for yourself!

• New Mural by Rafael Rodriguez at ALDI Hyattsville

• Route 1 Gets New Mural in Downtown College Park

• Bespectacled Woman Mural

• Hyattsville Murals “Fight the Blight”

• Vigilante Coffee College Park gets a Coffee Lovin’, Skateboarding Pink Dinosaur!

• Sewing the Fabric of Our Community