The sign atop the E. Clem Wilson Building is being covered in red. (photo by Edwin Folven)
Crews have started painting over graffiti atop a historic art deco building at Wilshire Boulevard and La Brea Avenue that was marked by a notorious tagger in late January. The repainting began earlier this week on the west face of the four-sided sign atop the 13-story, 182-foot-tall E. Clem Wilson Building. The blue sign, which formerly advertised Asahi and later Samsung, is being repainted red.
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety issued an order to the building owner to remove the graffiti. Leo Daube, a spokesman for Los Angeles City Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, 5th District, said the owner complied with the city’s order but needed additional time to secure a company that could complete the graffiti removal and repainting job.
The graffiti was scrawled on the building by a tagger known as ENDEM. An investigation into the vandalism, including how the tagger accessed the building, is ongoing. Officers in the LAPD’s Wilshire area have been on heightened alert for graffiti tagging and are monitoring the area, police said. The owner was also required to take steps to keep the building more secure, Daube added. No further information was available about how long the repainting project will take.