La Jolla’s Chase Bank branch on Girard Avenue, which has a storied recent history, is undergoing remodeling. Though the intent is to improve the building’s aesthetics, a piece of public art painted on one of the bank’s exterior walls for the Murals of La Jolla program is being covered with gray vinyl slats.
Artist Michael Mercil painted the mural, dubbed “Art is Good for You,” in 2023 on the building at 7777 Girard, facing Silverado Street. It is about a half-block long and consists of orange and red capital letters that spell out its title across a blue background. At the time it was painted, organizers said it was intended to remain for the next few years, though a concept for a new mixed-use building was being proposed for the site.
Murals of La Jolla Executive Director Taylor Chapin told the La Jolla Light this week that she wasn’t told the mural would be covered up and found out only when the slats were being placed over it.
Chapin said she met in November with representatives of Chase Bank about the property and the mural and “at that time, there was no indication the mural would be removed or covered.”
“The property is owned by Chase Bank, [but] Murals of La Jolla was not informed or consulted prior to the mural being covered,” Chapin said. “As the organization that commissioned and has stewarded the artwork, we would typically expect to be notified in advance of changes affecting a mural.”
Chase said in a statement to the Light this week that the branch, which is open to customers during the work, is being renovated in phases, with completion expected in early fall.
“Updates include refreshed common areas and ground-floor lobby, exterior repainting and plaza resurfacing with new landscaping,” according to the statement. “These improvements reflect our continued investment in a modern, community-focused experience in La Jolla.”
The property once was eyed for a complete teardown and construction of a mixed-use complex, but the work now being done is independent of those plans.
In 2022, a group of about 30 investors purchased the building and the parking lot behind it and drafted plans to convert the site into a mixed-use development with commercial spaces on the ground floor and residential units on the upper floor. The plans garnered support from local planning groups.
The investors’ intent in buying the property was to “tear down that eyesore and build something new that would be a transformation for that corner,” said Jack McGrory, one of the local investors. “We always thought it wasn’t the most attractive building on Girard, and we thought we could develop it and make more improvements to the place.”
After the group had invested around $14 million in the project, Chase Bank offered to buy the building in 2024 for $18.25 million, and the purchase occurred in June that year.
The bank had had a long-term sublease on the property from the Bettles family, who had a 60-year ground lease that started with the former Montana-based landowners.
McGrory said Chase said it would do “several million [dollars] in renovations.”
In August 2024, La Jolla Community Planning Association board members voted to send a letter to Chase asking that it consider building the development that LJCPA and its committees had supported.
It isn’t known whether Chase intends to pursue that project in the future.
As for the Murals of La Jolla artwork, there currently are 16 murals remaining around town, funded solely by private donations. They are removed on a rotation basis.
“Since its founding in 2010, Murals of La Jolla has worked collaboratively with property owners, artists and community stakeholders to commission and steward murals as part of its program throughout La Jolla,” Chapin said. “At this time, Murals of La Jolla remains focused on commissioning and maintaining murals at its other established sites throughout The Village.” ♦