Shop owner hangs on to mural

Paintings violate sign ordinances, Englewood says

Sara Burnett, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 19, 2007 at midnight

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It's as if Mike Mahaney has fallen down a rabbit hole of his own.

Two weeks ago, the city of Englewood cited the owner of Headed West on South Broadway for putting two illegal murals on the side of his smoking supply shop.

One of those murals - the one that seems to have sparked all the attention - depicts a scene from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, complete with The Caterpillar atop a mushroom, puffing on a hookah.

Some neighbors said the painting had not-so-subtle undertones of drug use.

The city, meanwhile, said the mural - as well as one of rock legends such as Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix - were too large, a violation of Englewood's sign ordinance. They gave Mahaney two weeks to remove them.

But Friday, Mahaney said he plans to fight the ticket, even if it means going to court.

His decision came after the story got national media coverage and "thousands" of people expressed support for the mural, Mahaney said.

The American Civil Liberties Union and several attorneys have contacted the shop owner, and Mahaney said roughly 500 people have signed a petition to keep Alice, the white rabbit and the 'tokin caterpillar along South Broadway.

"People were all over it," added Mahaney, the father of a 15-month-old daughter. "I've had tremendous support."

Mahaney hired artists to paint the murals to deter graffiti, which had become a recurring problem. The rock icons were his idea. It was the artists who came up with the Alice theme, but Mahaney said he quickly agreed, figuring the story has become "mainstream," and would appeal to young and old.

"It just seemed to fit," he said.

He was surprised when he heard about the negative reaction, which he attributes to just one neighbor.

"It's enjoyable artwork," he said. "That's all it is."

But deputy city manager Mike Flaherty thinks it's more than that.

There was more than one complaint about the mural, Flaherty said, though he doesn't know how many. Many of those complaints, he suspects, had to do with content.

But he said the city's response had nothing to do with the scene depicted on the wall, which included a pill on the long tongue of the white rabbit, until that one detail was painted over.

The mural falls under the city's "creative sign" ordinance, Flaherty said. While Mahaney doesn't think the mural should be classified as a sign because it doesn't include any words, Flaherty said it's clear the purpose of the painting is to attract attention to the business - which it's certainly done.

The ordinance limits the total square footage a business may use for signs, based on a percentage of the property's total street frontage. Mahaney's murals exceed his limit, Flaherty said.

"It doesn't make any difference what he painted," he added. "He could have painted a 10-foot Mona Lisa. It would have been just as illegal."

Mahaney isn't sure what will happen next. He could appeal his case to city hall, or he could wind up in court. As of Friday afternoon, he hadn't heard anything more from the city.

As for his detractors, he doesn't know what to say, except, maybe, lighten up.

"It's a fantasy," he said.

burnetts@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5343

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