A 19-panel mural depicting a traditional Arab souq stretches along the ITC Substation fence on Warren Avenue in Dearborn. The installation is the latest visible result of the city's broader investment in one of its busiest commercial corridors.
The City of Dearborn and the Warren Business District Improvement Authority (WBDIA) held a ribbon-cutting for the "Bridges of Culture" project Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 13851 Warren Ave., according to a city press release. The installation was made possible through a partnership with ITC.
The mural spans nineteen 5-by-10-foot aluminum panels. Artists Mary Thiefels and Danijel Matanic of TreeTown Murals created the artwork, which illustrates scenes from a souq: textiles, coffee, foods and community life. The imagery honors Dearborn's Arab American community and themes of connection and family.
CDPA Architects + Planners provided design support.
Stonebridge Building Company handled installation under a $247,602 contract the Dearborn City Council approved Jan. 13, according to the council’s meeting summary. That figure includes a 5% contingency of $11,790, according to the agenda packet.
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud called Warren Avenue "Dearborn's heartbeat and among the strongest business corridors we have" in the city release. He added that the project "began under the last administration," crediting the prior mayor's office with starting the effort.
Site work began April 20, according to WBDIA meeting minutes.
The mural is one piece of a larger Warren Avenue Transformation Project. The city secured a $24.8 million Safe Streets and Roads for All grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2023 to fund a roadway and streetscape redesign, according to a city press release about the project's community meetings and the project website. That project aims to reduce vehicle speeds, build pedestrian walkways and shared-use paths, improve intersections and install green infrastructure to reduce flooding.
A separate Warren Facade Improvement Program awards up to $200,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding, with a 10% business match, to upgrade storefronts between Lonyo Avenue and Greenfield Road, according to the city’s program announcement. The city has described the combined corridor investment as exceeding $30 million.
The public engagement phase for the roadway redesign is complete, according to the project website TransformWarrenAve.com. Residents can sign up for project updates through the website.
