'A fantastic run': Decades-old mural painted over in downtown Vancouver

A well-known six-storey mural, prominently displayed on the side of a downtown Vancouver building for more than three decades, has been painted over.

The Randall Building has stood on West Georgia since 1929. During a 1991 renovation, the owner commissioned a replica of a centuries-old engraving of goldsmiths at work in Germany.

The mural was a staple downtown for 32 years, but building management tells CTV News the wall recently needed major remediation work, and the already damaged mural was painted over.

"It's a shame that it's gone now,” said Kenneth Tang as he passed by the now blank space. “I really wish that they'll paint it back."

"They should put something else,” suggested Meena Kari. “Some artwork, something related to Vancouver."

Nicola Kozakiewicz was one of the two original artists. She, along with Kat Mykka, worked three weeks straight from dawn to dusk, a “really fast job”.

The mural wasn’t meant to last forever, she explained, and she’s thrilled it had such “a fantastic run”.

“32 years for a mural is really remarkable actually,” she said. “I really enjoyed it up there and every time I walked by I would relive the memories of doing it."

A Google Maps screenshot shows the damaged facade.

Kozakiewicz was commissioned to create the mural by the building's then-owner, Tony Cavelti, a well-known jeweler in the area. She says she hopes new artwork will also honour the past like her piece did.

“It speaks to the history of that building and the history of Tony Cavelti being in that building as a jeweler, as a goldsmith.”

The building's current owner, Cavelti Enterprises, says no concrete plans are in place for a replacement, but it has been in contact with the city about possibly getting a permit to create new artwork.

City hall says it considers location, scale, and content when approving permits for new murals -- which it says should enhance community identity -- and the visual quality of the city.

Vancouver's rapid development could also impact the future of the facade.

"Hopefully something comes to replace it,” Kozakiewicz said. “Who knows, maybe it'll be another building next door the way Vancouver is going."

For now, passers-by will just have to use their imaginations on what is now a blank canvas.