By Thomas Breen
“E” and “Moksa” and a graffiti artist who asked to remain anonymous got to work Sunday morning spray-painting the Whalley Avenue-facing wall of a long-abandoned commercial building — to create a mural that they said has been commissioned by the landlord to help enliven a “depressing” corner.
The mural’s artists are part of a group called “Fifth Dimension Designs,” according to E, who asked to be identified by only the first letter of his first name.
E said he used to run the Keys on Kites tattoo parlor in Westville Village, which shuttered its 869 Whalley Ave. storefront last month. “We closed for bigger plans,” he said about the future of his tattoo business.
He also said he’s worked on graffiti murals all over the city, including at the Edgewood Skate Park and on Water Street.
On Sunday, he and his colleagues undertook their latest public art project — this time on the Whalley side of the former Community Action Agency building at 781 Whalley Ave.
That property at the corner of Whalley and Fitch has been owned since 2019 by a holding company controlled by Sim Levenhartz. In 2022, Levenhartz’s company won City Plan Commission approval to construct a new 245-unit apartment complex at that site — but never followed through on that plan. In recent months, Levenhartz has racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in anti-blight fines — as well as a never-served arrest warrant issued by the Building Department — as the city has sought to crack down on an array of code violations at the property.
E said that the new mural is very much wanted by the landlord, and that it will beautify rather than bring down the corner. “We’re coming in to paint this and stop any issues that were going on” between the landlord and the city over how this property looks, he said.
What’s the design of this new mural?
“This is the gateway to Westville,” E said. “So we’re doing a, ‘Welcome to Westville.’ We’re just trying to brighten up the area.”
He noted that the corner has looked “pretty depressing for years” — in part thanks to a damage caused by a 2018 car crash. “Now we’re just bringing some light to it.” He said that every person who has driven by on Saturday and Sunday has said, “Thank you! Awesome! We love it!”
“So it’s giving people a little extra hope in some dark times,” E said. He said that Levenhartz is “trying to really liven up the area as a future developer” of this corner.
“We’re actually doing this as a gift to the city,” E continued, while stressing that Levenhartz had commissioned the mural. Levenhartz did not respond to an email request for comment by the publication time of this article.
One of the muralists, who asked to be identified as Moksa, said that he was creating “background elements” on Saturday morning. “Creating the landscape,” he said. “Just making it up on the spot.” He knew that he was going to be painting a sign welcoming people to Westville. Otherwise, it’s “kind of an ad lib situation.”
Moksa praised Levenhartz for covering the costs of the spray cans for this Whalley mural. “Today we’re using mostly Belton,” he said, which provides “pretty good can control.”
What does he like the most about spray-painting a mural like this one?
“It’s like asking someone why they like playing golf,” E replied. “You’re outside. You’re in the sun. You’re with your friends. It’s Sunday. This is our ‘going golfing.'”
