Giant Historic Houston Mural Awaits Pending Restoration

by Christina Rees January 15, 2015

DSC_0147The giant faded mural on the 5900 block of Canal Street in Houston is getting a restoration. “The Rebirth of Our Nationality” was painted in 1973 by artist Leo Tanguma and some of his then-university peers on an East End warehouse, and depicts the history of the Chicano movement. It has since chipped and degraded substantially.

Harris County purchased the warehouse in 2012 and now the mural will be restored along with the building, which will be used as headquarters for the Precinct 6 Constable’s office and to store  county records.

The mural restoration is reportedly budgeted for $70,000. Tanguma, now based in Denver, was a trained artist via Texas Southern University and was a student of Mexico’s “Great Four” social muralists. He’s pleased about the planned restoration, though he personally won’t participate in it. He supports the idea of a Houston street artist named Gonzo 247 to oversee the mural’s facelift. The county has not yet made a decision about Gonzo’s participation.

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