Welcome to Little Mysteries — a series where we dive into the small, inconsequential mysteries around us. The ones that don’t keep us up at night, but drive us insane every time we’re reminded of them.
The catch? We aren’t solving the mystery alone; that’s where you come in. We’ll lay out the clues, then ask for your help providing any additional information. Then, we’ll gather all the info and (hopefully) solve the mystery.
So, let’s make like Benoit Blanc and get to cracking the case.
The case
Tucked behind a parking garage, on the side of an old brick building downtown that’s currently undergoing renovations, is a mural — one that you just might miss if you aren’t paying attention.
Where did it come from? Who’s the artist? How old is it? Why was it covered? Are there any photos of it that exist, pre-garage?
The clues
- The mural is located on the side of the old Classic Coin & Jewelry building downtown (109 E. Seventh St.), but...
- It’s covered, in part, by a parking garage — one that, according to @galvestonzoo on Instagram, was built in 1977.
- There’s a name on part of the mural that is uncovered — “Arnold,” it appears. See for yourself.
- The building on which it’s painted is 112-years-old, and also served as a shoe store and the Club Fiesta at one point, according to a Times Free Press article about the building’s redevelopment.
- According to that same article, the original exterior of the building (on which the mural is found) was actually hidden by for many years by metal cladding before workers removed it. Whether the cladding covered the entire building, or just the front, is unknown to us.
The ask
Do you have any information about this mural? Perhaps, back in the day, you had seen it before it was covered by a garage? Does the possible artist name sound familiar to you? Give us your clues and best guesses.
*Could we probably call and ask around to solve this mystery on our own? Sure. And we will do that, if need be. But sometimes, it’s more fun to bring you all along for the ride.
