“The 20-by-50-foot painting went up during the weekend on the facade of a West Street restaurant and is unlike any mural in Annapolis.
‘We’re always trying to push the boundaries a little in the city, just to make it more exciting,’ said Gavin Buckley, one of the owners of the restaurant, tsunami.
The mural, however, wasn’t approved by the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. Buckley, who is treasurer of a group set to oversee management of the city’s Arts and Entertainment District, said they didn’t know they needed permission.
Located at 51 West St., the restaurant falls within the western boundary of the Historic District.
Buckley said they intend to apply for approval retroactively.
If so, a public hearing on the mural could be scheduled for July 14 at the earliest, said Lisa Craig, the city’s chief of historic preservation.
‘They look at the application as if it had not yet been painted,’ she said. ‘It has everything to do with how the work of art fits within the historic setting, how it relates to the building, and how it relates to the streetscape.’
The seven-member commission could approve the mural, require changes or decide it should be painted over entirely.”
