City considers removal of Jackson Ward mural to preserve historic area

Natalie Barr, Staff Writer

Local artist Nils posted on a Richmond subreddit, an online community forum through Reddit, about needing a blank wall for Swiss artist Bust to paint a mural. Homeowner Josh Shaheen, who’s lived in Jackson Ward for a little over a year, had a blank wall and offered the space, thinking nothing of it — until he received a letter taped on his door, he said. 

The mural on the side of Shaheen’s home in Jackson Ward, Richmond’s historic district, gained attention after the city said the homeowner did not have permission to paint murals. 

“I had no idea. I don’t know, far be it for me to think that I could do anything I wanted with my property, but apparently that’s not the case,” Shaheen said. “Lesson learned.”

The city claimed Shaheen received a letter when he moved into the historic district, which laid out the rules of what he could and could not do with his property, but Shaheen never saw such a letter, he said.

“I would have thought that if something that had such big, hard and fast rules that there’d be some sort of thing you had to sign but there wasn’t,” Shaheen said.

The block where the homeowner lives has murals and graffiti on walls in every direction. There was even graffiti on his own wall, and was covered up when the mural was installed, Shaheen said. He thought it would be a “win-win” solution with a new piece of art, he said. 

Shaheen contacted the head of the Jackson Ward Historic District and the Commission of Architectural Review, or CAR, and assumed the whole situation would not be a big deal, he said. Shaheen was told this was the first time something like this happened, he said. 

Shaheen attended a CAR meeting a few weeks ago where the commission discussed the mural. A decision was deferred until the next meeting on Feb. 24, according to Shaheen. Ultimately, CAR wants the mural to be removed or covered up, which Shaheen hopes does not happen, he said. 

“I’m appealing the process, so I’m holding off on any attempts at removing the artwork until I get a final verdict,” Shaheen said.

The homeowner started a petition to gain support, even though digital signatures might not do a lot to change CAR’s mind, he said. Foot traffic has increased in the neighborhood since the mural went up and he hopes the amount of attention the situation has received will result in a good outcome, Shaheen said.

“This is kind of where I’m at now, it sucks. Why take down this amazing piece of art, when there’s murals in every direction, graffiti everywhere. It’s not like the city’s making any attempts to remove that,” Shaheen said. “It kind of seems hypocritical.” 

Cities are made up of various, different neighborhoods each with their own history, tradition and often, their own architectural style and character, according to architectural historian Edwin Slipek. 

“Richmond’s neighborhoods have a certain style to each one. Church Hill has various characters, the same is true with Northside and the West End. Jackson Ward, in particular, is one the city’s oldest neighborhoods,” Slipek said. “It’s one of the best preserved, preserved in a particular era, and one of the reasons it is so special.” 

The neighborhood is unlike others because it was not torn down and rebuilt with high-rise buildings or bigger buildings, he said. Black communities lived in Jackson Ward in the 20th century, and Slipek believes this is the reason the area has remained so intact, he said. 

“One of the things that people treasure in those old neighborhoods is the old architecture, and often beautiful architecture, and what they try to do is to maintain a consistent standard for the maintenance and the restoration of those buildings,” Slipek said.

Residents who move to the area know the historical background and the rules attached to being a resident, and even though some areas of Richmond have become known for their murals, Jackson Ward is not, according to Slipek.

“They [Jackson Ward residents and the city] don’t want the idea of someone coming and painting a mural on the outside of their house, which is, as you’re correct, a private decision to make on your private piece of property,” Slipek said. “But there are also standards and agreements that have been made jointly between the community and the city of Richmond and homeowners.”

Slipek believes the city should have chemicals to safely remove the paint without causing harm to the brick exterior, he said. Slipek realizes there are changing cultures within cities, and does not know what the final decision will be, due to the historical preservation strongly tied to the neighborhood, he said.

“Maybe from this discussion it could be that they [Jackson Ward residents and the city] might loosen up the rules,” Slipek said. “All depends on what the neighborhood collectively wants.”

Richmond City Council established CAR in 1957, as the city’s official historic preservation body. CAR reviews all exterior changes to structures in the district and issues Certificates of Appropriateness, or COA, for projects CAR defines as appropriate, according to Maritza Pechin, Office of Equitable Development deputy director as stated in an email.

Jackson Ward was established as a historic district in 1987, and as homes have been restored in the district, the community “worked tirelessly” to keep the historic authenticity, she stated. 

The installation of the mural on Shaheen’s home violated CAR’s rules since he was not issued a COA, Pechin stated.

“Mr. Shaheen cannot paint a mural on his home based on the regulations established by CAR, which include prohibitions on painting previously unpainted brick,” Pechin stated.

The city is waiting for information from Shaheen about the feasibility to remove the paint from the brick, and staff will provide him with recommendations, Pechin stated. 

Ian Hess, founder of Supply RVA, an art store in the Jackson Ward neighborhood, had only been open for a few days before an artist from Sweden was his first customer, according to Hess. This is the same artist who painted the now infamous Jackson Ward mural, Hess said. 

“It kind of felt a bit like destiny, I’m not gonna lie,” Hess said.

The paints used for the mural do not contain any damaging “materials or acids”, so removing the mural would cause more harm, according to Hess. He does not understand why CAR would want to remove a mural within an art district, he said. 

“The idea of seeing the headlines of ‘art districts tears down international artist’s mural’ is not a good look,” Hess said.

Hess has seen a lot of people visit the mural, take selfies and use the mural as album covers; he worries what the impact of removing or covering up the mural will have on the art community and fans of Richmond’s murals, if an “extreme measure” is taken, he said.

“Perceptually, it’ll ripple through the whole community. I mean it’s beautiful you know,” Hess said. “If anything, it’s easier to just not do anything.”