In the late '80s and early '90s, as the New York-style of subway graffiti spread, Paradise Hills became a canvas for rival graffiti crews who had taken up the art as a meaningful way to express ...

He estimates the art wall got its start in the mid-2000s. “I think that somebody that was doing community service there just approached them about it,” he recalled.

The Graffiti Hall of Fame at Jackie Robinson Playground is but one of East Harlem's efforts to encourage and preserve the street art form in New York City.