Iconic Willie Nelson Mural Demolished in Austin

News 27 Comments

photo: Karma Montagne


The iconic Willie Nelson mural in downtown Austin, TX located at 407 E. 7th Street was destroyed on Monday morning, February 3rd, as the 100-year old building it was on the side of underwent demolition to erect a high rise property. The demolition came as a surprise to the mural artist Wiley Ross, who happened to be at the property for a meeting with the building’s owners in hopes of re-creating the mural in the future.

The mural was originally commissioned as a 60-by-20-foot monument to Willie as the backdrop of “Heart of Texas Rockfest” that was part of South By Southwest in March of 2016. Though the mural wasn’t historic, it was definitely iconic, making for the most visible piece of public music art in the Live Music Capital of the World, and a destination for many tourists and Willie Nelson fans. After its original unveiling, the mural was updated to include another Austin music icon, Janis Joplin.

Most recently, the building at 407 E. 7th housed the bar Mug Shots, but was abandoned when a fire in February of 2024 resulted in structural damage to the building. The fire was believed to have been caused by homeless in the area. Instead of renovating the property, the owners, Jaffa Parks LLC, decided to demolish it and use the 1/3-acre footprint to build a high rise hotel and/or residential building. Austin’s Historic Landmark Commission did evaluate both the building and mural for preservation, but ultimately allowed demolition plans to move forward.

“We pulled up for a meeting, and we literally had no idea it was being destroyed that day,” says Karma Montagne, who represents Wiley Ross. “By the time we got there, Janis [Joplin] was already gone.”

The meeting on Monday (2-3) was between Wiley Ross, the buildings owners Jaffa Parks LLC, as well as a nearby business owner whose building is also owned by Jaffa, and who is exploring re-creating the mural on the side of their property. They had no idea the backdrop for the meeting would be the destruction of the original mural.

“Watching the mural come down like that, it really was a shock, especially when we were standing there having a meeting, breathing in the rubble, and watching it happen,” says Karma Montagne. The unexpected demolition also means they didn’t have an opportunity to fully catalog the mural in video form as they wanted to.

Artist Wiley Ross with one last look at his iconic depiction of Willie Nelson


But the good news is that there might be possibilities for the mural to be recreated. The adjacent building at 405 E 7th St., which currently houses the whiskey bar Seven Grand says they are interested in recreating the mural on the side of their property. There is also the possibility the timing could work out, and the mural could be recreated during SXSW in mid March, just like it was originally created in 2016.

“The site is going to be cleared this week. So we’re going to go back on Monday and take pictures of the building next door, and then draw up a design to see how we could fit it,” Karma Montagne explains. “It may be about six feet shorter, but it’s about the same width. So we’re just discussing if it will be the same mural, or something else … They were excited, they were kind, and they were happy. They though it was a such a good thing, and it could be lit up to be beacon for the area, and a place of safety.”

But even if the mural makes it onto the adjacent building, there is no guarantees that building or mural would be preserved forever either with the current growth in Austin. This is why there is also an effort underway to preserve the mural digitally.

“If it wasn’t going to live on in reality, we were going to offer it or sell it to the City of Austin or someone so it can be projected on to any building at any time, and be the only living reproduction of it, almost like a memorial. So for SXSW events, you could have the Willie Nelson mural back again,” Karma Montagne explains.

Though murals often come and go in urban areas, the Willie Nelson mural was unique, and had become what felt like an indelible part of Austin’s live music culture.

“It means a lot to Wylie. It did help elevate his career,” Karma Montagne says. “It’s his most well-known piece. People took pictures of it daily and tagged him in them. Over all the years, it didn’t get graffitied, except for in the last 18 months. And considering where it’s at, that’s a miracle. When he originally painted it, he made friends with the homeless community there. It was respected what he did.”

If people want to donate or help with the recreation of the mural, they can reach out to karmacoyoteproductions@gmail.com and visit wileyross.com.



© 2025 Saving Country Music

, , ,