Mural gone from 101 *

Emily Banneker at Blogging.la is bummed that L.A. Freeway Kids, the 1984 Olympics-era mural that adorned a south wall of the Hollywood Freeway (or Santa Ana, depending on your interpretation) near Main Street downtown, has been painted over.

I always saw the 101 murals as symbols of my childhood. I was 3 years old when most of them were painted. 1984 was a big year for LA. The city tried to make itself presentable to our international visitors. I still have my stuffed "Sam the Eagle" mascot at my parent's house. When my parents started taking my brother and I to Universal Studios, this meant a drive up the 101. LA Freeway Kids was not my favorite. My favorite was what I called the "Greeks in Space" mural. This too has been defaced over the years, and I swear to you it is not an exaggeration to say that my heart is heavy with grief at the thought that it too will soon be buried in gray.

When it was painted, the mural could be seen by kids visiting the Los Angeles Children's Museum. Here's more info and photos on the mural designed by Glenna Boltuch, at Public Art in L.A. and at L.A. Murals.org.

* Two more: Edward Fuentes blogs that three downtown murals have been painted over in Caltrans gray. "Evidently the constant tagging made it too costly to consider restoring them yet again."