Wallace & Ladmo // Shop Small
Category Public Art
Wallace & Ladmo // Shop Small
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The prominent Wallace and Ladmo mural was painted by Hugo Medina on the corner of the First Studio building. Built in 1949 as the original home for Channel 5, this building housed the very first television studio built between St. Louis and San Francisco and because of that played a significant role in the early days of television for the Rocky Mountain and Southwest regions of the country. Presidents, dignitaries, and entertainers all came through Phoenix to go “on the air” live on Channel 5. It was also the home of The Wallace and Ladmo Show, a much-loved local children’s television program that aired from April 1954 through December 1989. (Downtown Phoenix Journal)
A few years later, in 2015, Shawn Bullen stepped in as part of the Shop Small program and joined Hugo Medina to work with the owners of the building on expanding upon the original mural. The finished mural seamlessly blends the original Wallace and Ladmo characters with a profile of Steven Spielberg, representations of Barry Goldwater’s work and images of the RoRo neighborhood. Everyone agreed that in addition to the historic elements it was important to include images of the young people who are so integral to this thriving neighborhood and its many small businesses, so the mural includes the large smiling face of a young woman wearing sunglasses looking steadily into “the future.” (Downtown Phoenix Journal)
Address
631 N 1st Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85003
