An historic mural that was rediscovered in Clayton three years ago will live on for another day after an agreement between its new owner and the City of Clayton to spare it from a fresh coat of paint.
The mural on the side of 1 North Central Avenue in downtown Clayton was only revealed after a delivery truck crashed into the bar John P. Fields in 2023, causing such damage that the building had to be demolished. That left the wall of an adjacent building exposed, along with painted ads for both Wrigley’s spearmint gum and Borden’s Unsweetened Evaporated Milk. Their exact provenance is not clear, but the gum mural depicts one of Wrigley’s Spearmen, which Print Magazine suggests pre-date the Doublemint Twins. “These green arrow-point heads with human faces, arms and legs sticking through, were turn-of-the-century Gumbys, as popular as the Brownies and cute as the Kewpies,” the magazine reported, noting that they were used in print ads between the 1910s and 1920s.
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The mural quickly drew a following. “I feel like people really like it,” says Clayton Mayor Bridget McAndrew. “It’s kind of a snapshot into our history. I think it’s really cool.”
But earlier this month, the building beneath the mural’s bright paint acquired a new owner: Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate. The company is owned by David Hoffmann, who’s been on a buying spree in the area (and now also owns the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). It submitted a proposal to the city to paint the building Sherwin Williams Extra White.
City planners seemed amenable, but wanted the mural to stay. A one-sheet prepared by city staff said, “The mural has been a conversation point since being revealed with residents and visitors commenting on the historic find. Staff are of the opinion that the mural should remain visible.”
At the city’s Plan Commission and Architectural Review Board meeting Monday, a property manager for Hoffmann said the company was fine with that condition. Marnie Miceli Clark noted that the mural stops abruptly halfway up the building. “We just wanted to make sure that it was OK to go ahead and paint that white, not painting the mural at all, but just pulling the white around the back of the building,” she said.
She added, “We’re not going to touch the mural. Initially, they were saying paint the whole end of the building. But then after staff gave their recommendations, we looked at it a little bit further and [now] understand the significance of that mural, so we just want to make sure we can paint the top white.”
The Clayton officials were happy to hear that. “I’m glad to hear you’re keeping the mural,” said member Jim Arsenault.
But Arsenault did have one concern. “Sherwin Williams Extra White is a very bracing, cool white,” he said. “And I’m worried that it’s—although maybe next to this background, it looks kind of like this softer, creamier color, that it’s going to really stand out on that corner in a not positive way.”
Ultimately, the board agreed; they approved Hoffmann’s request with the conditions that no part of the existing mural be painted over and that “a warmer white color” would be submitted to the staff for review.
Members questioned if anything was being done to preserve the mural—and some suggested that perhaps, beneath the dingy off-white paint that Hoffmann is now preparing to paint over, the rest of the mural might be hiding. Said Arsenault, “When I saw that, the first thing I thought was, ‘Boy, I’d love to see the rest of it, because it’s very cool.”
Hoffmann announced the purchase of the 8,609-square-foot building earlier this month. Its sale price is not yet reflected in county records. Tenants include Chipotle Mexican Grill and Hot Box Cookies.
The company did not respond to a message Monday seeking comment.
