The “Roxbury Love” mural has been demolished to make way for affordable housing and commercial space.

‘Roxbury Love’ mural demolished to make way for new construction

On Thursday, July 23, Cruz Companies began demolition on a building at the corner of Warren and Clifford Streets in Roxbury. This was the site of the iconic “Roxbury Love” mural by artists Ricardo “Deme5” Gomez and Thomas “Kwest” Burns. The demolition sparked outrage in the community that has come to embrace the mural as one of Roxbury’s signature art pieces.

Commissioned in 2014 by the City of Boston’s “Pop Up! Dudley Connections” program, the mural was only slated to be up for 18 months. Six years later, it had become an integral part of the Roxbury landscape. The 100-foot spray-painted mural featured a black-and-white portrait of Nelson Mandela in the center, smiling with his finger on his temple. The words “Roxbury Love” flanked the portrait, and a boldly colored pattern ran the full length of the wall. The mural was inspired by Mandela’s 1990 trip to Boston and launched the hashtag #RoxburyLove on social media platforms. On that trip, Mandela spoke at Roxbury’s Madison Park High School, just a mile from the site of the mural.

The Boston Planning and Development Agency approved plans for the demolition and construction on the site in 2016. Cruz Companies, a Black-owned and operated company based in Roxbury, will build 95 units of affordable and elderly housing on the site and a ground floor set of commercial spaces, according to the BPDA documents. The property will also house the Cruz Companies offices, which currently are in John Eliot Square. The 2016 plan also includes $8,000 set aside to replace the “Roxbury Love” mural with another artwork onsite. Unconfirmed reports say that Gomez and Burns have been commissioned to create a piece for Nubian Square in the wake of the demolition.

Despite these plans, the wound left by the destruction of “Roxbury Love” stings for many community members. Gomez posted a video on his Instagram page of him watching the demolition. In a statement on the post he wrote, “If I think rationally, I can say I knew this mural wasn’t going to be permanent. But if I go with my heart, to say that this mural meant a lot to me is an understatement.”

Several community meetings were hosted to discuss the project in the early stages of its planning, but neighborhood residents are saying they were not informed of the date the demolition would occur. There was no formal opportunity to view the mural one last time. Gomez wrote, “I would’ve liked to have had the chance to say goodbye.”

ON THE WEB

Read the statement from artist Ricardo “Deme5” Gomez at www.instagram.com/p/CDB0SoSntEJ/