Robert Indiana kept a series of illustrated journals during the late 1950s and 1960s, in which he discusses the development of his work as well as his daily life on Coenties Slip.

In his journal entry for May 23, 1961, Indiana mentions a call from Mrs. Edwin L. Goldberg (chairman of the Scarsdale Studio Workshop, where he taught art classes), writing "chores for exhibit," a reference to the workshop's annual art exhibition (in 1961 it was held from June 3–4 at Scarsdale High School). He then notes working on the construction Marine Works, "repainting [the] red parts, adding bands of [the] same color [to] [the] poles that project from [the] main surface." Indiana also records sawing off the end of a column, sanding "late into [the] night," and applying paint remover to another column.