Egrets and Herons Mural - Huntington Beach, CA - Murals on Waymarking.com

During the late 70's, a shopping center was built kitty-corner from the Huntington Beach Civic Center, which was a marvelous combination of architecture, science education, and commerce. The entire place was planned around a theme of shore and seabirds; there were many tile murals depicting the birds in stages of their lives, and in literature. Multiple dioramas on bird life history and local birds species were placed throughout the center, done in cooperation with the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History. Even the signage to businesses had a bird theme; the dentist office, for instance had an Archeopteryx on it, the only fossil bird with teeth. The parking lot featured pelican sculptures, crosswalks were marked with the tracks of webbed feet, and many of lighting fixtures were shaped like eggs. It won several awards for design, however, because it was more of an open air mall, and many of the stores were not visible from the street, it began to suffer declining visits and lack of patronage. The owner applied for redevelopment into a more traditional strip mall. Local art patrons organized a "Save the Birds" campaign and many of the murals were moved to the Civic Center, where they are now displayed as public art.

This mural is mounted on the side of the one story part of the Civic Center, facing the fountain. Its original location was on the other side of the building; however, it was moved due to the building undergoing seismic retrofitting and heavy construction in that area. It depicts a great egret, a green heron and a snowy egret perched on branches against a green background. The birds are labeled with their common and scientific names, and size.

Bonus point:
Q: When were snowy egrets hunted to dangerously low levels and why?
A: Answer here.

Part two of a series of mural from the old Seacliff Village Shopping Center.

City: Huntington Beach Location Name: Huntington Beach Civic Center building Artist: Barbara Beall - Beall Art Studios Date: late 1970's Media: Glazed Tile Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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