A new mural depicting Ballard’s commercial fishing history could soon cover the south wall of the Hansen Building at 5101 Ballard Ave NW.
Building owners Roger and Laurie Lohrer are seeking a Certificate of Approval from the Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board to install the mural. The proposal is being presented to the board on Oct. 1. Local artist Nikki Solemsaas would paint the mural.
The proposed design, called “Bluebird Day,” features a working fishing vessel on the water against a layered mountain landscape. The concept draws on Ballard’s maritime history and the Hansen Building’s longstanding connection to the North Pacific commercial fishing industry.
The design uses blues, whites and other coastal tones in Solemsaas’ hard-edge, color-blocked style. The rendering included with the proposal is an approximate visualization, and details such as scale, perspective and placement could change slightly in the final installation.
The mural would cover a wall measuring about 25 feet wide and 15 feet, 2 inches tall. It would be painted directly onto the building’s existing stucco using exterior acrylic mural paint with a matte finish. An anti-graffiti coating would then be applied to make future graffiti easier to remove without damaging the artwork.
Building owners said one reason for the project is repeated graffiti on the wall. According to the proposal, the south wall has been tagged four times over the past 12 months, despite lighting installed on the back of the building. The neighboring building at 5103 Ballard Ave NW, which already has a mural, has experienced few, if any, tags, according to the application.
The proposal comes shortly after another mural project was completed nearby in Ballard. In September, local artist Andrew Miller completed a mural behind Hattie’s Hat after the property owners approached the Ballard Alliance about adding artwork to the wall. That project was also intended in part to discourage tagging while adding public art to the neighborhood.
The proposal also cites a November 2025 security assessment of the Hansen Building by Seattle Police Officer Matt Brown. In January, Brown recommended adding a mural to the wall, saying blank walls are more likely to be tagged than walls with murals.
The building owners said the project is intended to deter vandalism while reflecting the building’s connection to the commercial fishing industry. They also described the mural as a potential gateway into the Ballard neighborhood.
Access to the wall presents another complication. It borders a fenced and locked King County Siphon lot, so the owners must obtain a Right of Entry permit from King County to access the site. The permit for the mural project is currently underway, according to the application.
Photos: Hansen Building Mural Project Presentation to the Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board