The Marine Grill Murals were created in 1913 by artist Fred Dana Marsh for the restaurant at the McAlpin Hotel, located at 34th Street and Broadway. Featuring maritime themes that celebrate New York's significance as a major seaport, the murals depict subjects ranging from Henry Hudson's ship to Robert Fulton's steamboat in New York Harbor. The terra-cotta murals became so celebrated that the restaurant was later renamed the "Marine Grill," giving the murals their title.

In 1989, the McAlpin Hotel was converted into a residential cooperative. During the conversion, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission took possession of the dismantled terra-cotta tiles and arranged for their storage. A decade later, MTA Arts & Design was asked by the Landmarks Preservation Commission whether the murals could be incorporated into a New York City Transit subway station. Working with designers and preservationists, the agency installed six of the murals, along with the Marine Grill's iconic wrought-iron entrance gate, in the passageway of Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau station in 2000.

In 2011, following major station renovations, the murals and the iron gate were relocated to the new William Street entrance of Fulton Center, preserving an important piece of New York City's heritage and showcasing an exceptional example of terra-cotta craftsmanship. The murals are comparable to the subway system's historic medallions and plaques, many of which were also produced by the Atlantic Terra Cotta Company. Together, they provide a rich and visually engaging environment within the transit system.

Fred Dana Marsh (1872-1961) was an American artist and illustrator. Born to a prosperous Chicago stockyard merchant, Marsh attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. While in Chicago, Marsh learned the big brush techniques of mural painting while working as part of a team of artists preparing murals for the Chicago World's Fair. Afterwards, Marsh went to Paris where he married Alice Randall, another Art Institute of Chicago alum. While living in a studio in Montparnasse they started their family. His "Lady in Scarlet", a full-length portrait of his new wife, won the International Bronze Medal and was exhibited extensively. Marsh and his family returned to New York area at the turn of the century, where he continued his career in the arts before attending Yale University and working as the Editor for the Yale Record for a time. He created paintings for wealthy clients, as well as a series of murals entitled "Allegories of Industry" for the New York Engineering Society Library, incorporating maritime themes and subjects as frequently as the opportunity allowed. Marsh largely retired from commercial art in 1928 and relocated to Florida shortly thereafter.