The 30-year-old Black history mural in Arlington’s Hall’s Hill-High View Park neighborhood is being repainted after it was demolished a few months ago.
“The mural was very important to us, because what it depicted were critical organizations or events that are part of our neighborhood’s history,” said Wilma Jones, president of the John M. Langston Citizens Association.
The vibrant mural depicted daily life in the predominantly Black community when it was painted in 1996.
“Unfortunately, because of the structure of that was actually a cinderblock wall, it was not structurally sufficient to be able to support what McDonald’s was doing with their remodeling,” Jones said.
It was reduced to rubble in October as part of a construction project to improve the McDonald’s parking lot directly behind the mural.
The removal shocked many in the community, including the artist who painted the mural, Roderick Turner.
“It’s rough; it’s really sad for the community, though,” he said. “I think it’s a sad day.”
Turner repainted his mural in 2020. Now, he is preparing to repaint it again. He believes it’s valuable to the community and for future generations.
“It’s emotional … and makes me feel sensitive concerning that, being that it would be the third time that I’m doing the same, same mural,” Turner said.
The John Langston Citizens Association and the Langston Boulevard Alliance worked with the fast-food chain to find a solution that would ensure the historic community artwork was not lost. It included installing a sturdier fence between the McDonald’s parking lot and Langston Brown Park, the mural’s new home.
“The whole idea for it was something that came from the people who lived here every day, so having our history depicted on this wall, especially with all of the gentrification that’s happening in Arlington, is important to the people who grew up in this neighborhood,” Jones said.
The John Langston Citizens Association hopes that the new mural will be up by the end of the summer or early fall.
“I hope it does what it was designed to do originally which when they walk back, they can get a sense of that community and its history, its rich history, and the importance of its history,” Turner said. “And also not just that, how the community feels about, also about this work.”
