New murals add an artistic touch on Divis

The “Harlem of the West” mural in the works.

SAN FRANCISCO MURALIST Mel Waters is re-creating his Harlem of the West mural on the same wall where the original stood for 12 years.

In 2014, Waters painted a “Harlem of the West” mural on a laundromat wall at 1233 Divisadero Street. It was a tribute to the years when so many jazz clubs packed that neighborhood that people called it the Harlem of the West. The mural stood for 12 years. The graffiti multiplied, and eventually the wall was repaired and painted over. In late August, it began to return. Same artist, same wall, off the Little Zion Baptist Church parking lot on Divisadero between Eddy and Ellis Streets.

“It’s rare that a mural gets a second chance in the same place,” notes the Divisadero corridor’s Instagram page. “Mel says he’s just getting started, so be patient. We think it will be worth the wait.”

Another new mural now brightens the corner of Divisadero and Pine Streets. “Togetherness” was created by a creative collective known as 1AM Projects.