Whale mural on Detroit's Broderick Tower blocked again - this time by auto insurance ad
DETROIT (FOX 2) - For the second time in years, the fan favorite mural that covers Detroit's Broderick Tower was covered in favor of other signage.
This time, the wall that usually shows whales swimming and cresting through the sea, is now covered by an auto insurance ad. The massive white tarp reading "Michigan's #1 Car Insurance" is sponsored by Cure Auto Insurance.
Just like when the mural was first covered up in 2021, locals don't like the change.
"I miss the whale mural. I just - I’ve seen it everytime I’ve gone to a Tigers game and seen it over there so the Cure Auto Insurance it’s just not as aesthetic to look at while you’re hanging in the D," said Michelle Gierman.
Many recognize the whales from Comerica Park. The residential skyscraper where the artwork can be seen is sometimes referred to by the artist who painted the mural - Robert Wyland.
He, too, isn't happy about the change.
"To me it’s you know it’s just ridiculous that they think this is good advertising. This is the polar opposite of that," he told FOX 2.
Wyland called the large advertisement "disturbing." He learned of the change when hundreds of messages came in about the mural being blocked again.
"You know what’s funny is they say, ‘of you know, we’re not destroying it.’ Yes, you are. You’re destroying the integrity of the mural and what it represents, which is the lakes are connected to the ocean," said Wyland.
Attempts to cover up the mural with other artwork surfaced in more than two years ago when Rocket Mortgage commissioned its own mural, which featured several colorful faces with the title "Detroit is Home" above them.
The artist, Phillip Simpson, said the goral at the time was to celebrate both his signature smiles and the diversity of people who live in the city. But even as a native, not everyone enjoyed the change and last summer the whale mural returned to the surface.
Now it's blocked again.
"It’s been there for so long and to be covered up really is a shame," said Chris Morten, another local.
FOX 2 reached out to Cure Auto Insurance, but did not hear back.