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Wyland’s Downtown Whaling Wall Threatened by High-Rise

Construction has begun on the Ariel Suite Apartments, a 22-story downtown development in the parking lot of the U.S. Bank (formerly San Diego National Bank) building at the corner of Kettner and Beech.

An artist's rendering of the tower indicates it will at least partially obscure the public view of San Diego Migration, a 160´-by-60´ mural on the side of the banking offices.

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The artwork was dedicated in 1994 as the 64th installment by the artist Wyland in a 27-year quest to place 100 sealife murals (dubbed “Whaling Walls”), which was completed in 2008.

According to the Wyland Foundation website, 87 murals still exist unmolested in various locations across the globe, including installations at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and inside the Plunge indoor pool building at Mission Beach. Two of the 13 “extinct” murals were also formerly located in San Diego County.

U.S. Bank acquired the parent of San Diego National Bank in October 2009 and announced in April 2010 that it would purchase San Diego National’s former downtown headquarters from federal regulators "to preserve the iconic Wyland whale mural on the side of the building," according to a 2010 San Diego Daily Transcript article.

“This is wonderful news for the community,” U.S. Bank regional chairman Robert Horsman told the paper.

Five months later, the bank sold the adjacent parking lot — which provided the open space that makes the mural visible — to Ariel Suites LP, a Las Vegas–based developer. Last December, Ariel obtained a $30 million loan from Bank of the West and recently broke ground on the project.

The 269-foot-high tower will consist of 224 one- and two-bedroom apartments and 17,300 square feet of commercial space. An artist’s rendering on the Centre City Development Corporation website appears to show a portion of the mural re-created on the building’s lower stories. Construction is expected to be complete in October 2013, according to a sign posted at the construction site.

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Construction has begun on the Ariel Suite Apartments, a 22-story downtown development in the parking lot of the U.S. Bank (formerly San Diego National Bank) building at the corner of Kettner and Beech.

An artist's rendering of the tower indicates it will at least partially obscure the public view of San Diego Migration, a 160´-by-60´ mural on the side of the banking offices.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The artwork was dedicated in 1994 as the 64th installment by the artist Wyland in a 27-year quest to place 100 sealife murals (dubbed “Whaling Walls”), which was completed in 2008.

According to the Wyland Foundation website, 87 murals still exist unmolested in various locations across the globe, including installations at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and inside the Plunge indoor pool building at Mission Beach. Two of the 13 “extinct” murals were also formerly located in San Diego County.

U.S. Bank acquired the parent of San Diego National Bank in October 2009 and announced in April 2010 that it would purchase San Diego National’s former downtown headquarters from federal regulators "to preserve the iconic Wyland whale mural on the side of the building," according to a 2010 San Diego Daily Transcript article.

“This is wonderful news for the community,” U.S. Bank regional chairman Robert Horsman told the paper.

Five months later, the bank sold the adjacent parking lot — which provided the open space that makes the mural visible — to Ariel Suites LP, a Las Vegas–based developer. Last December, Ariel obtained a $30 million loan from Bank of the West and recently broke ground on the project.

The 269-foot-high tower will consist of 224 one- and two-bedroom apartments and 17,300 square feet of commercial space. An artist’s rendering on the Centre City Development Corporation website appears to show a portion of the mural re-created on the building’s lower stories. Construction is expected to be complete in October 2013, according to a sign posted at the construction site.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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