Family Owned Bakery’s Mural Must Come Down, ‘No!’ Says Community - Dallas, TX
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WalksfarTX
N 32° 44.986 W 096° 50.563
14S E 702110 N 3625605
Residents in a North Texas neighborhood are upset after a complaint over a beloved and well-photographed mural lead code enforcement officers to demanding the mural come down.
Waymark Code: WMZEA1
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/28/2018
Views: 0
CBS DFW Local Channel 11
The mural in question was painted outside Maroches Bakery on Davis Street in North Oak Cliff.
“Uh, my first thought was, why me?” questioned Manuel Tellez, who owns Maroches Bakery.
The massive mural was painted six months ago by Venezuelan artist Alejandra Camargo.
The issue is that the bakery is in the historic Winnetka Heights District, which neighbors the Bishops Arts District.
“Wait a minute. We’re in the artistic district. This is art,” said Tellez.
In order for the piece to stay, he needed to apply for a “Certificate of Appropriateness.”
“Kind of sad, but I like to do things right,” said Tellez.
So he started covering up a portion of the mural.
“It’s like losing a part of the family,” said Tellez. “That bad.”
But his neighborhood rallied behind him. One even started a petition.
“People didn’t consider doing much of anything with these historic buildings 40 years ago. It was sort of a forgotten part of town and not a lot of investment coming in,” said Katherine Seale, Chair of the Dallas Landmark Commission.
The landmark commission listened to the case on Monday and saw the support.
“Properties change over time and their significance changes,” said Rosemary Hinojosa of the Dallas Landmark Commission.
The commission decided the historic storefront must remain intact, but the rest of the mural can stay.
Tellez just needs a letter from someone within the arts community certifying the importance and lineage of the piece to other historical murals in the area.
"It feels good," said Tellez. "It's great."