Tragic.
According to KVUE out of Austin, Texas, a mural that features country music icon Willie Nelson, as well as fellow Texas native Janis Joplin, is under threat of being demolished to make room for more development.
It’s a sad reality of growth in the very popular city, which was the heart of the country outlaw movement of the 1970s. The mural is located at 407 E. Seventh St., near Neches Street, in a nearly 100-year-old building (the mural has been there for less than 10 years, though). The building was once home to Mug Shots bar, which was damaged by a fire back in February.
The current property owner Jaffa Parks LLC is now seeking to demolish the entire building, and according to KVUE, wants to use the location to build a new “high-rise development site”:
“Located in the heart of downtown Austin, this high-rise development site was recently repaved, striped, and currently serves the community with safe, convenient parking while development plans are underway.
The site is approximately 1/3 acre, and can accommodate a multifamily, hotel or office tower without height restriction.”
No decision has been made yet in terms of if the demolition will go through, as the city of Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission will review the demolition permit at its meeting this Wednesday, November 6th.
Of course, there are several Willie Nelson tributes throughout the city of Austin, including a “Willie for President” mural on South Congress Avenue, as well as statue of him outside of Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater, which was actually vandalized back in February.
This type of thing is a subject that hits pretty close to home for me personally (and literally), as the Charlotte area, where I live and in other parts of North Carolina, has faced similar issues with development. The recent controversy over Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s widow, Teresa, wanting to sell his land in order to build an industrial park, comes to mind as a somewhat similar example in terms of principle.
It’s not simply about the mural itself, but rather the never-ending destruction of historic buildings and landmarks in favor of “progress,” as more and more people continue to move to the Southeast (we’ll let Texas count as “The South” for the purposed of this argument and article).
I understand that there are other murals, tributes and buildings that represent both Willie and Janis’ impact on the city and state, but it’s just sad to see something else this unique to the culture of Austin be threatened. Of course, Willie moved to the city back in 1972, after struggling to make it as an artist in Nashville.
He had written hits for other artists like Patsy Cline with “Crazy,” but wasn’t having as much luck with his own solo career. When he moved to back to Austin in 1972, he recorded Shotgun Willie shortly thereafter, which was released in 1973 and became an underground success among young people.
While it wasn’t a massive hit on the charts, it really kick-started the Austin music scene as an iconic place for outlaw country, and was considered one of the first true “country outlaw” records.
The rest, as they say, is history, and I really hope by some miracle this mural lives to see another business or something in that building, rather than being torn down and demolished like it’s nothing.
Stay tuned…
Here’s a little more from KVUE: