By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Where what’s likely West Seattle’s longest retaining wall once sported these murals along its street side …
… and art like this along its block-long alley side …
… it’s all now a drab gray that was blank for about a day until it drew this protest:
We got tips about this last weekend. The wall story on the north and west sides of the CVS/ex-Rite Aid lot (5217 California SW) dates back almost three years – here’s our first report from 2023, about what was given the name the “West Side Wall.” We learned shortly afterward that not only was renowned West Seattle muralist Desmond Hansen the creator of the baseball mural on the SW Dawson side, but also shepherding the evolving multi-artist project on the alley side.
That’s who the first reader to tell us about the paintout, Jared, contacted when he discovered it a few days ago. He told us Hansen was on the case. We contacted Hansen directly and met him at the wall this afternoon to talk about what happened and what’s next.
The situation is “really unfortunate,” he told us. “This alley was a great place” to make art. Not all graffiti-style, either.
He says someone complained to the city, the city sent CVS an abatement letter, and – not knowing the history behind the wall art, since it wasn’t anywhere in writing – the corporation hired a paint crew.
As soon as Hansen heard about it, he got busy contacting CVS management. “CVS is supportive,” he said – that included the acquisitions director, whose portfolio included this store (converted from Rite Aid last summer), and district manager. He says they’re in contact with the city and restoration can start once they have an acknowledgment in writing that it’s not going to generate another abatement action.
The “West Side Wall” was more organized than it might have appeared to casual viewers, Hansen explained – the alley-wall art rotated – an artist who came to work on the alley might decide which was the “ugliest” of the current crop and paint something new in that space. Meantime, he said the artists policed the work to ensure “no hate,” among other rules.
He and some of the artists also did weeding and trash pickup periodically – including syringes and mini liquor bottles – and Hansen said he’d also moved along some people who tried to camp in the alley, which stretches from Dawson to Brandon Streets, with back yards and garages lining the west side.
Before talking to Hansen today, we had sent an inquiry to CVS corporate to ask if they indeed had initiated the paintout; the reply came at the end of the day today from corporate communicator Amy Thibault, who confirmed it was them: “The wall was recently painted after we received complaints from community members about graphic and offensive content. We’re in touch with a local artist and the city about the wall and evaluating potential ways to ensure local artists can continue showcase their work in a way that all can enjoy.”
We also inquired today with the city Department pf Construction and Inspections – which handles this type of complaint – but haven’t heard back yet.
Hansen says part of the situation might be a “blessing in disguise” – he expects this will lead to a written record of the art agreement, to avoid something like this happening again, at least as long as CVS is leasing the property (which is owned by an unrelated investment firm that Hansen said he tried to reach but couldn’t). He says he probably won’t re-create his baseball murals, instead considering featuring Kraken hockey or Sounders soccer, maybe even the once-and-future Sonics. But first he’s going to continue checking in daily until the situation is resolved: “I’ll do whatever I can to get this wall back.”
That would include, if there was a way, talking with whomever complained, to listen to their concerns and explain what a place like this means to artists. (If that’s you, you can reach him through his website.)