AUSTIN, Texas — Last week, the owners of Thai, How Are You?, a Thai restaurant located on Guadalupe Street near the University of Texas campus, announced it would not re-open after closing before the school's winter break.
With the restaurant closing its doors, many wondered what would happen to late Austin musician and artist Daniel Johnston's famous mural painted on the side of the building.
According to our partners at Austin360, the mural – which features a character named Jeremiah the Innocent and has become an important part of Austin's cultural history – first went up on the exterior wall of Sound Exchange in 1993 and has survived as the businesses inside the building have changed over time.
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With Thai, How Are You?'s closure, some Austinites were concerned about what would come of mural once the space is leased to a new occupant or the building is sold.
But residents need not worry, according to the Austin360. On Monday, a representative for the property's owner – Austin-based American Campus Communities – said though they're exploring options for redeveloping the property, the mural will be safe.
"The entire property will be redeveloped in the future but we currently do not have a timeline," Gina Cowart, vice president of branding and marcom strategies for American Campus Communities, told Austin360 in an email. "As part of the redevelopment, the Jeremiah the Innocent mural will be preserved to honor Daniel Johnson's legacy and the Hi, How Are You Project."
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Johnston died in September at age 58. He was raised in West Virginia and moved to Austin in the early 1980s. He came to fame through his home-recorded tapes and his music influenced Kurt Cobain and has been covered by artists such as Tom Waits and Yo La Tengo.
In 2018, Austin declared Jan. 22 Hi, How Are You Day in honor of the much-loved singer-songwriter.
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