Classy Contzen

In May of last year, we showed a bit of the murals to come in Barrio Anita. The I-10 freeway widening is done, and here's that view today -- closer up, now that the street isn't closed.

Tucson muralist David Tineo grew up in this neighborhood, and I'm wondering if that's the artist standing next to the Anita St. Market (which has murals of its own). If you know, please add a comment or send me email!

Once I was on Contzen Avenue, I could see a new little park snuggled next to the tall soundproofing wall. (At least, it was new to me! The Tucson-Pima Arts Council website says the mural was completed in 2005 and is one of a series of three -- including the Oury Park mural that Randy photographed in 2006.)

Anyway, the wall is covered with a spectacular mural. Here are two parts of it, starting from the north end (the part with the store, shown in the first photo):



The south end has a little ramada and a couple of tables with a 20-foot-high violinist to serenade you while you eat. Thanks to that wall, the freeway noise is just a whisper. (If the city can't pick up the trash, though, maybe one of the people in the neighborhood, or a visitor who's not on a bicycle like I was, could do it once in a while...)



Update (August 12, 2011): Philip Synder has great close-up photos of parts of these murals on his SmugMug page Barrio Anita mural, Tucson.

Update (September 26, 2014): The waymarking.com website has a page with lots of details: The 1008 North Contzen Street Mural.