Letter to the Editor: Capitola Ave. Mural Disappears

The following letter was submitted on Thursday, Aug. 2 in response to the recent disappearance of the mural on the .

Just across from Capitola City Hall sits a nondescript stucco building with all of the excitement of watching drying paint. It wasn't always that way.

Once upon a time, in the not too distant past, the side of the building facing Capitola Avenue sparked such an interest that tourists stopped across from it, amazed, while locals always halted in their walks to the Village to once again admire.

Once upon a time there was what was more than a mere mural or painting. There, inside a studio seen from what appeared to be a window, sat an artist at his easel. Outside, on the sidewalk, looking into the window was a group of the curious, watching the artist at work. Seen from the sidewalk in front of city hall, the scene had depth and reality, so much so that those viewing it had to cross the street and see the painting up close, touch the people, and the artist, unbelieving that it was just a painting on a flat surface. 

It was a point of conversation, a tourist attraction like none other, that extended ordinary conversations on the walk to the beach. It sparked debates and livened conversation and was a point of pride for locals.

Now, there's a boring building sitting vacant, the artist gone, the onlookers vanished and nothing left but a pink stucco wall. Why? Why would anyone choose to paint over such an interesting painting to replace it with nothingness? Who did it and why?

The building is for lease now, and one would think it would be up to the new tenants, at least, to have a voice on whether or not to keep the mural. In a Village that fully supports its Arts and Cultural Commission, why would that painting that was on a building used by the city be vanquished to Neverland? 

Gale W. Geurin
Capitola

Do you agree with Gale? Do you miss the mural on Capitola Avenue? Did you notice it was gone? Is public art vital to Capitola? Tell us in the comments!

Submit your own letter to the editor by sending an email to jacob.bourne@patch.com.