Iconic mural bites dust in bank demolition

Posted on October 10, 2020 By Editor Neighborhood News, Riverside, Avondale, Ortega, Murray Hill

The colorful “Calvin and Hobbes” mural, which adorned the side of the Edgewood Avenue South branch of Bank of America, was destroyed in September when the bank building was demolished to make way for workforce housing.

Murray Hill’s sprawling “Calvin and Hobbes” mural that was painted by Jerkface, a famous New York streetscape artist, was demolished along with the Bank of America Building 840 Edgewood Avenue South in early September. The building’s playful cartoonish mural stretched along the southern side of the former Bank of America branch facing Kerle Street.

The Vestcor Companies plan is to build a workforce housing project – a four-story, 117-unit multi-family residential complex called the Lofts at Murray Hill – on the site. Included in plans for the building will be 11,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.

The Bank of America Building, at 840 Edgewood Avenue South, was demolished in September of make way for the Lofts of Murray Hill, a Vestor Companies’ workforce housing project.

The project has drawn community discussion and dissension about how the new building will affect the area in terms of traffic and density. The City Planning Commission approved zoning exceptions for the new complex last year despite vocal opposition from some Murray Hill residents who were worried about whether the project would attract low-income tenants and make it harder to park. Some business owners viewed the project, which will bring more residents to the area, as a boost.