It has been some time since the iconic goldsmith mural of Vancouver was removed. Although, It was a shame to see the iconic mural of a medieval goldsmith spanning the east wall of the seven-storey office building at 555 West Georgia Street get taken down, This presents a couple opportunities for the wall. That being the addition of a new mural or remaking the original.

Then & Now: Mural at West Georgia and Richards Street #Vancouver https://t.co/XgiZmAFVdn

— CityHallWatch (@CityHallWchVAN) October 27, 2024

Now you might be wondering if you’re just hearing about this now, Why was it removed in the first place? The goldsmith mural was replaced by the concrete wall coating due to the office building deteriorating over time. In 2021, the buildings age was starting to really show, with multiple large areas peeling and falling from the building facade. Although, it was not really noticeable at first, The deterioration really started showing at a rapid pace within the 2 years leading into 2023 where you can see parts of the wall/mural peel and even fall off.

This led to a decision being made by the building management to remove the mural to apply the concrete wall coating in 2023. Mainly, because the wall holding the mural couldn’t be repaired in any way due to the age of the building and the fact the wall was crumbling on the inside for years.

Building Condition 2021 (Still Good)

Building Condition 2023 (Deteriorating)

It’s understandable why this happened however it’s still unfortunate that one of Vancouvers most iconic murals was removed. But, an interesting opportunity has now been presented on a new mural being on the new wall of the building. Although the the non-profit organization behind the Vancouver Mural Fest currently has no plans to paint a new mural this year as they stated:

“VMF would welcome a conversation with the building owners and other potential funders to place a new mural on this prominent location in downtown, and make this rumour a reality,”

However, they might paint something there later down the road should it be a new mural or a recreation of the old one?

In my personal opinion, I believe the old one should be recreated. The history behind the original mural which was based on a 1698 copper engraver and art dealer, Christopher Weigel. The goldsmith mural is something that always caught peoples eye in downtown Vancouver with it enticing those who see it to look into its history and learn more about it.

However, The creation of a new mural is something that could be interesting as well. I guess will have to wait and see what happens with the wall and if they Replace or Recreate the mural.