SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - An iconic North Park mural may go the way of the dinosaurs.
The “WEENosaurus Rex” mural will be painted over to make way for a Target store moving into the vacant building, according to an Instagram post by its artist, Mark Paul Deren.
In the post, the street artist known as Madsteez said: "SADDDD to say that @target is going to paint over WEENasaurs Rex not only because its my favorite mural but because I watched the entire North Park San Diego community blossum colorfully over the years & I’m proud to have been a part of that transformation. What do you think????"
The mural has loomed on the west side of the former Wang’s Restaurant location at 3029 University Avenue since 2012.
Deren painted the 50-foot cartoon dinosaur with the building owner’s approval.
Deren, also known as Madsteez, has been commissioned by Nike among other notable companies, and the T-Rex mural was completed for Pacific Magazine’s art issue in 2012.
Target has been negotiating with city officials since last fall to place a Target Express in the building.
A Change.org petition was created to keep the mural from going extinct.
Target released the following statement Thursday afternoon:
As we prepare to open a store in North Park, we’re considering a new mural for the store’s building that will be influenced by local perspectives and will represent the spirit of the neighborhood. To do that, we’ve connected with North Park Main Street and the North Park Planning Committee, and have reached out to local artists for their input. In the coming weeks, we’ll issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) so interested artists can participate. We’re still in the early stages of this project, and will continue to take local partners as we move through the process. It’s common for us to commission a local artist to create artwork in or on our stores as we open new locations across the country, and we partner closely with local leaders to ensure our buildings fit in with the fabric of the community.
10News will have more details on this developing story throughout the day online, on our mobile app and on-air.
