City Board Says Flame Mural Must Go, but Store Owner Vows to Fight

A mural of swirling neon green and red flames painted on the front of a popular downtown Ventura music store has sparked a controversy at City Hall, where architectural planners have ordered the artwork removed because they say it’s too loud.

Peter Weal, the owner of the Wild Planet on Main Street, said he has been told by the Ventura Architectural Review Board to cover the bright mural with beige paint.

But a defiant Weal said Tuesday that he plans to take his case to the City Council and hopes that the top officials will rule in favor of the eye-grabbing painting. He said he has 2,000 signatures on petitions asking city officials to allow the design to remain.

“I hate boring beige buildings,” said Weal, 27. “I’m not trying to be mean. I understand we need basic controls. But a mural adds so much to a flat wall. I want to keep it.”

Weal said that after local artist M.B. Hanrahan finished the flame design several months ago, “business just exploded.”

“It must be up at least 8%,” he said of his musical tape and compact disc sales. “I figure I have over 100 paying customers a day.”

But as the mural got the attention of customers, it also caught the eye of city code enforcement officers, who discovered that Weal had failed to obtain approval for the artwork.

About two weeks ago, the music store owner was summoned to appear before the review board, made up of several Ventura architects, to answer to the color police.

Officials decided that Weal could keep the green trim and colorful designs painted around the store’s windows and door. But despite Weal’s plea to keep the motif above the entry way canopy, the board ordered it removed.

“The city of Ventura has certain standards regarding the sizes for signs, and he is in violation,” said Curtis Stiles, chairman of the Architectural Review Board.

Bill Hatcher, an associate city planner who serves as a consultant to the board, said he found the painting “a little garish.”

“I think the underside of the canopy has a lot of visual interest,” Hatcher said. “When it’s confined to the store’s entryway, it is not as obtrusive as when it’s up on the facade.”

But Weal defended the artwork.

“It’s very professional and done in an artistic manner,” he said.

Hanrahan, who also painted the entryway of The Company Rags E.T.Cetera on Main Street, said: “I’m from Los Angeles originally, and I just know that murals--good, bad or indifferent--spark up the urban landscape.

“They’re an alternative to other high-priced, wasteful advertising. They just put a place right on the map.”

So far, Weal said, none of the businesses surrounding his store have complained about the project.

“I think the mural looks pretty good from where I’m at,” said Vicki Avants, owner of the nearby Lunch Basket restaurant. “I signed a petition saying he could have it.”

Councilman James L. Monahan, however, said he thinks the mural detracts from the appearance of downtown.

“It’s not the kind of image that we are trying to convey. I think if I was a tourist visiting Ventura from say, Colorado, I would not be attracted to go in there.”

But Councilman Tom Buford, who encouraged Weal to appeal the review board’s decision, said the council should weigh the issue carefully before forcing the store owner to paint over the mural.

“I’m not sure that it’s improper,” Buford said. “I think that before we go too far in restricting that type of activity, we should put some more thought into it. . . . I’m not offended by it.”