Lee Harvey Oswald Mural Stirring Controversy in Oak Cliff - Dallas, TX - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

Oak Cliff Aug 25
Hannah Wise, Engagement Editor

The shots fired from Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle on Nov. 22, 1963, are forever etched in Dallas history. But one Oak Cliff business owner is making Oswald's infamous mugshot a permanent part of his business.

Christian Avanti, owner of the Members Only barbershop, hired an artist to paint a black-and-white portrait of Oswald on his building at West Seventh Street and North Madison Avenue.

"Oswald is part of Oak Cliff history. That is the only reason we did it. We didn't do it to offend anyone or anything like that," Avanti told KXAS-TV (NBC5).

Oswald lived in an apartment at 604 Elsbeth St. for a few months and then a boarding house at 1026 N. Beckley Ave., both in Oak Cliff. The Elsbeth apartment building was razed in January 2013; the Beckley house remains open for tours.

After he fired the fatal shots at President John F. Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas in 1963, Oswald returned to the house on Beckley before shooting Dallas police Officer J.D. Tippit. Oswald then made his way to the Texas Theatre, where he was captured by police.

Avanti told NBC5 that his intention is to contribute a piece of art to the neighborhood as well as a piece of history. He said the mural is not finished and will include a quote from Kennedy. "It is kind of our way of saying we are not paying homage to Oswald," Avanti said.

Theo Ponchaveli, the mural's artist, painted a series of Kennedy pieces to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination in 2013, but none were quite like the Oswald painting.

"I knew it was going to be controversial. But at the same time it is art, so it is interpreted by the viewer," Ponchaveli told NBC5. However, as the Oswald mural has taken shape, some residents have grown uncomfortable over the mural's prominent place in the growing arts district.

Oswald "is not a positive aspect of Oak Cliff. Maybe he lived in Oak Cliff, but it is not a positive thing, and I think that with all of the effort that we are making for Bishop Arts District to be a big thing — and it's coming along really well — that it has no place," Jeanie DeLeon, a neighbor, told NBC5.

What property owners choose to paint on their buildings is up to the individual owner, said Cody Ellison, president of the Bishop Arts District Merchants Association.

"Art is art, and this is the arts district," Ellison said.

Type of publication: Television When was the article reported?: 08/25/2016 Publication: The Dallas Morning News Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Arts/Culture

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