Historic building, Willie Nelson mural demolished in downtown Austin
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A nearly decade-old Willie Nelson mural is being torn down in Austin as part of a demolition project.
Back in February 2024, the Austin Fire Department responded to a fire at 407 E. 7th Street, an abandoned building that formerly housed the Mug Shots bar. Crews confirmed the building had been occupied by people experiencing homelessness, and added the building suffered structural instability as a result.
RELATED COVERAGE: Crews responded to fire at abandoned bar downtown
At a November Austin Historic Landmark Commission meeting, city staff recommended demolishing the building due to damages sustained in that fire and plans to redevelop the site. The property was built between 1922 and 1932 and originally served as a general store run by Abraham and Amelia Nassour before they sold the property in the 1950s.
City records revealed a complete demolition permit was issued on Dec. 12 for the building, and is currently active until July 27, 2025.
Local muralist Wiley Ross partnered with Adam Brewer to develop the mural back in early 2016, according to March 2016 reporting from The Daily Texan. The duo created the mural ahead of the Rockfest music festival, which Brewer launched in 1999 in response to an alleged lack of representation for some artists at South by Southwest Conference & Festivals.
The two told The Daily Texan they wanted to pay tribute to Nelson's contributions to music and Texas iconography, as well as honor a beloved figure in Austin. Fellow Texas singer-songwriter Janis Joplin was later added to the mural.
Nelson celebrated the mural in February 2016, reposting a photo of it on his Facebook page with the caption: 'Look for Willie in the streets of Austin!'
Aside from the East Seventh mural, there's also the 'Willie for President' mural on South Congress Avenue as well as a statue of the Texan outside the ACL Live at the Moody Theater.
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