Situated in the heart of Little Havana, TD Bank has a prominent location in the well-known district for Cuban exiles in Southern Florida. To blend in with the look of the community, an outdoor bank patio was recently constructed in 2017 that included one of the most interesting and colorful on-ground mosaic murals.
Christina Sprows, a LEED green associate, is an architect working for Enterprise Real Estate for TD Bank, stated, “The bank owned the property, but because they were downsizing the building to a 2,500-square-foot facility, that left a large empty lot on the premises.” Little Havana city officials recommended building a “trellis” area as a parkway to cover that area. The committee knew what they wanted to do so a request for proposal was immediately sent out to local artists. The proposal set certain parameters for the trellised parkway that included for the main concept to maintain the culture of the area; the parkway artwork needed to be put together using durable material that could stand up to the rain, wind and heat of Miami; all creative efforts had to be coordinated in conjunction with civil engineers, including landscaping lighting, etc.; the pathway was to connect the street to the bank to draw in guests; and finally the proposed theme was to be emblematic of the Little Havana community and how it is inspired by its Cuban culture.