Keys to Chelsea: A Mural Project Brings Chick Corea Home Under the Tobin Bridge

If you have driven under the Tobin Bridge on Everett Avenue lately, you may have noticed something new taking shape on the retaining wall between Chestnut and Walnut Streets. That wall, once home to a mural that was damaged during bridge repairs, is being transformed into a permanent tribute to one of Chelsea's most famous native sons: jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea.

The project is called “Keys to Chelsea.” It is backed by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ 2025 Making It Public Program, and the City of Chelsea first put out the call for artists in late January 2026. According to the Chelsea Record, the response was strong — over 20 applications came in from artists across the country — and a selection committee made up of city staff, community members, and arts professionals has been reviewing the submissions.

The mural will occupy a wall that measures 50 feet wide by 13 feet high on Everett Avenue, a busy gateway that connects Chelsea to Boston and neighboring communities. Its location carries deep meaning: Chick Corea grew up in a home that once stood directly beside the mural site, making this not just a public art project but a genuine homecoming.

A Chelsea Boy at Heart

Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea was born in Chelsea on June 12, 1941. His nickname “Chick” came from “Cheeky,” a name his aunt gave him as a young child because she would pinch his cheeks. His father, Armando, was himself a jazz musician. Corea attended the Williams School, where he took music lessons from Alvin Toltz, and was a member of the St. Rose Scarlet Lancers Drum and Bugle Corps. He started on drums before eventually switching to the piano exclusively — but that early percussive foundation shaped his unique style for the rest of his career. He graduated from Everett High School in 1959 after his family moved mid-year, but the city never forgot him. Chelsea later awarded him an honorary Chelsea High diploma, a gesture he treasured.

Corea’s career reads like a history of modern jazz. According to the Recording Academy’s official Grammy website, he is the artist with the most jazz Grammy wins in history. Over his lifetime, Corea earned 29 Grammy Awards from 77 nominations. His official website describes him as a “27-time GRAMMY Winner and NEA Jazz Master,” with the BBC calling him “a venerated maestro” and the New York Times calling him “a luminary, ebullient and eternally youthful.”

He played with Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo as a young musician, joined Miles Davis’s band in the late 1960s, and went on to form the pioneering jazz fusion group Return to Forever. His first Grammy came at the 18th Annual Grammy Awards for “No Mystery” with Return to Forever. His 1968 trio album Now He Sings, Now He Sobs — featuring Corea, Miroslav Vitous, and Roy Haynes — was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. His compositions “Spain,” “500 Miles High,” and “La Fiesta” are studied and performed by musicians around the world.

When Corea passed away in February 2021 at age 79, the Chelsea Record published an appreciation that captured what he meant to the city. In his final message to fans, posted through his family, Corea wrote: “It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs more artists, it’s also just a lot of fun.”

What Comes Next

The “Keys to Chelsea” mural is not the only way the city is honoring Corea. City Manager Fidel Maltez told the City Council that Chelsea is also exploring the possibility of a statue of Corea in the future, alongside a separate effort to honor heavyweight boxing champion John Ruiz, another Chelsea legend. District 5 Councilor Lisa Santagate confirmed the strong community response to the mural project.

The selected artist or team will receive a $12,000 award to cover all costs — fees, materials, insurance, travel, and installation. The final design is subject to MassDOT review and approval. The mural was scheduled to be completed by June 30, 2026, so residents may want to take a drive past the Everett Avenue underpass to see if it has been installed.

For more information about the project, you can reach Delia Harrington, the city’s Manager of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy, at dharrington@chelseama.gov or 617-466-4103.