The repeatedly tagged south wall of the Hansen Building at 5101 Ballard Ave NW could get a 25-foot fishing-vessel mural if a landmark board says yes.

Building owners Roger and Laurie Lohrer presented their proposal to the Ballard Avenue Landmark District Board on Thursday, Oct. 1.

They want to commission Seattle artist Nikki Solemsaas to paint "Bluebird Day," a color-blocked scene of a working fishing boat against layered mountains, directly onto the building's stucco exterior.

The design uses blues, whites and coastal tones in a hard-edge style, according to My Ballard, which first reported the proposal.

The wall has been tagged four times in the past 12 months, even after the owners installed lighting on the back of the building. A neighboring building at 5103 Ballard Ave NW that already has a mural has experienced few, if any, tags, according to the application.

The graffiti problem caught the attention of Seattle Police Department Officer Matt Brown, who conducted a security assessment of the Hansen Building in November 2025. Brown recommended adding a mural in January, saying "blank walls are more likely to be tagged than walls with murals," according to the application.

The mural would measure about 25 feet wide and 15 feet, 2 inches tall, painted with exterior acrylic mural paint in a matte finish. An anti-graffiti coating would go on top.

The concept draws on the Hansen Building's longstanding connection to the North Pacific commercial fishing industry. The owners described the mural as a potential gateway into the Ballard neighborhood.

The proposal faces a specific question from the landmark board.

A staff report notes the board must decide whether the mural conforms to District Guideline 5, which calls for "subdued colors that are appropriate and consistent with the historic building and District."

The staff report flags several factors the board could weigh: whether artwork differs from standard exterior painting, the mural's location on the rear façade rather than the Ballard Avenue storefront corridor, how well it promotes the district's history, and whether it deters activity that hurts economic vitality.

The board met Thursday morning but had not posted a decision by that afternoon. Its next scheduled meeting is Nov. 5.

The Hansen Building proposal follows a pattern in Ballard. In September, artist Andrew Miller completed a mural behind Hattie's Hat on the Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel building, a project also motivated in part by graffiti deterrence. The Ballard Alliance's Public Art Committee, formed in 2018, helps connect artists with property owners for projects like these, My Ballard reported.

One logistical hurdle remains. The wall borders a fenced and locked King County Siphon lot, so the Lohrers must obtain a Right of Entry permit from King County before work can begin. That permit is underway, according to the application.