For years Kirk Donovan has taken daily walks in his neighborhood and crossed the pedestrian bridge over Wilbur Avenue in Tarzana. But recently as he walked across the bridge, adorned with images of “Peanuts” characters signed by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz he found the paintings covered with graffiti.
“The paintings are the public art,” the Reseda resident said. “It’s for us, and it’s not for somebody to deface. I started thinking, ‘What if I put my heart and soul into a piece of art and gave it freely away to anybody, and they turned around and defaced it and covered it up with graffiti?’ I would feel hurt.”
Donovan worried that students from nearby Tarzana Elementary School who regularly used the 90-foot bridge would see their favorite characters covered with graffiti.
“Little kids love Charlie Brown and Snoopy,” he said. “You can graffiti a blank wall and I could care less. But this is somebody’s heart and soul. This is somebody’s art.”
In the following weeks, Donovan contacted the office of Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield and other city agencies to find out which department was responsible for upkeep of the images that range in width from three feet to eight feet and were painted on metal panels covered with a coating that withstands weather.
Donovan posted a message on the Nextdoor app asking if any neighbors could help him restore the beloved artwork. His post drew more than 1,700 views and one was a suggestion from a neighbor who offered to reach out to Hattas Studios, which produces hand-painted murals and artwork for residential and commercial spaces.
Jeanine Hattas, the founder of Hattas Studios, received a phone call from Donovan earlier this year and gladly agreed to restore the images. So far, five of the 12 metal panels have been removed for restoration.
“He called me out of the blue and I expressed interest,” Hattas said in a phone interview. “I love Peanuts and it spoke to me personally. It’s very cool that (Donovan) just saw that art was being destroyed, and reached out to us. He is just a responsible citizen who cares about the art and community.”
Hattas said her team would work on the five most damaged panels, removing dirt, patching holes and applying anti-graffiti coating. She didn’t disclose the cost of the restoration work but said the city sponsors their work.
It’s not the first time the images adorning the bridge have needed repainting and repair.
Following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the walkway was closed to pedestrians after columns that support the bridge were damaged. And in the 1980s the metal panels were removed while the city repaired and repainted the bridge. About a decade before that, a political party glued portraits of its candidates over some of the characters, drawing ire from community members.
Paige Braddock, the chief creative officer at Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, wrote in an email that the panel that most needed restoration was of Charlie Brown, vandalized by someone who painted a black mask over Charlie Brown’s face.
The panel wasn’t actually painted by Schulz, she said, but he “was involved in the granting of permission of the artwork, which is based on his original characters: Charlie Brown and Lucy.”
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“We’re very happy to see Schulz’s characters restored to their original condition,” Braddock said. “I’m sure Peanuts fans will be happy about that as well.”
On Monday, May 20, workers with Hattas Studios removed five of the images for restoration, which will be completed within a month. The bridge is currently open and accessible for pedestrians, according to Jake Flynn, a spokesman for Councilmember Blumenfield, whose district includes Tarzana.
“Our restoration contractor Hattas Studios has until June 14 to complete the work, though they anticipate to be done by May 31,” Flynn wrote in an email.
Donovan said he can’t wait for the Peanuts images to be returned to the community.
When the city reopened the bridge in 1994 after the Northridge quake, it threw a major celebration with a marching band, balloons and special guests. No events have been announced to welcome the return of the paintings.
Although there is no plan to celebrate their return, Donovan said, “I’m just happy the paintings are coming back.”
