17 - Mural Ordinance for Downtown Historic Area

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"(4) Typically, the best advice has been to paint the mural on a separate panel and mount it on the building. This method leaves the masonry intact and does not risk the building's envelope. These panels can also be created in a covered studio. Conversely, if the mural painting is to be a community event, the panel can be mounted, or a series of panels can be mounted to the building and painting begun. "(5) The use of spacers is recommended to set the panel away from the building approximately one inch so that air is allowed to circulate behind the panel. "(b) GHOST MURALS "Preservation of ghost murals (existing murals that have faded due to the passage of time) shall be done by one of the following three methods: "(1) Lightly touch up the design and lettering so it can be seen again. This approach uses diluted paint to still allow a faded appearance and convey it is a historic mural. Oftentimes this will require research into historic city directories, yearbooks, newspapers, Sanborn maps, official city files and records, museum files, and of course local citizens for historical photographs and information. "(2) Repaint the mural with 100% coverage. This approach is the least favored since it makes the mural look brand new again rather than as a historical element. On the more technical level, many historic murals were painted on brick. The Texas Main Street Program does not recommend painting on brick because it can interfere with how brick absorbs and repels water. Water can get trapped behind the paint and cause deterioration of the brick. "(3) Leave them as is. Leaving them exactly the way they are is the authentic history, and they have a beauty and a character of their own in this state. Do ensure that photos are taken or archived to document their history for future generations to learn about even if they can no longer be seen in their entirety. 6