Historic Dist. Commission will weigh revamped idea  to honor music pioneer

By Greg Ellison

(Feb. 10, 2022) Revised plans for a building-side mural honoring Berlin native son Dr. Charles Albert Tindley are on tap for the Historic District Commission in March.

A pioneer of modern gospel music during the post-Civil War era in Philadelphia, Tindley was native to Berlin.

Credited with writing standards such as “Stand By Me,” and “We Shall Overcome,” Tindley was born in Berlin in 1851 but relocated to Philadelphia with his wife, Daisy, following the Civil War.

In October, commission members balked at a proposal for artist Jay Coleman to paint a mural directly on vintage brick on the corner of Bay and William streets.

J.E. Parker, who owns the building, issued a letter supporting the painting of a large mural, proposed at 12-feet-wide and potentially twice that height, on the side of the town-center structure.

After the Worcester County Commissioners approved Berlin’s request to seek grants for the project on Aug. 17, town officials met with Coleman on Aug. 24 to discuss plans.

Beach to Bay Heritage Area interim Director Lisa Challenger, which is facilitating the artwork, said organizers plan to revive the topic during the commission meeting on March 2.

“We have listened to the Historic District Commission,” she said.

According to its website, the Beach to Bay Heritage Area seeks to promote, preserve and protect cultural heritage historical and natural assets of Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore.

Following the October meeting, Challenger researched alternative means to pursue the project and discovered a different approach had been taken in Cambridge.

Challenger said several murals in Cambridge were done on large wood panels that were mounted to building exteriors.

“We’re hoping by putting it on panels it allays concerns with brick,” she said.

During the October meeting, Economic and Community Development Director Ivy Wells presented examples of Coleman’s work and told commission members that he was still finalizing the design.

At that time, commission member Mary Moore expressed concerns that Coleman’s artistry felt “excessively commercial.”

Challenger said in addition to feedback on surface materials, the Historic District Commission stylistic sentiments are being considered.

“We’re tweaking the graphic for the design,” she said.

The revamped plans could also bring back into consideration, the first location considered,  the Bruder Hill building on Commerce Street.

Commission members had concluded earlier the Bruder Hill would be too expensive to paint because of its exterior textures.

Challenger said, if approved, the Tindley mural would be part of comparable efforts in Princess Anne and Somerset County, with the undertakings being backed by the Maryland Council for the Arts.