The disappearing Mary's mural

We have to admit that we've quickly become fans of the Press's new HouStoned blog — not so much because the posts are well-written, not so much because it featured boobs, and not even so much because there was a post today on a coming collaboration between Pimp C and Quanell X, a situation that gave us a headache when we tried to figure it out. No, what really hooked us was something the HouStoned folks did the first day: They told us what happened to the mural on the side of Mary's bar.

Mary's, of course, is the venerable Montrose lounge at the corner of Westheimer and Waugh; even if you haven't been inside, you may remember it as a platform for drag dancers during the pride parade and the old WestFest. But what Mary's may be best known for is the mural that graced its east wall, which depicted a bar scene complete with a "Gay Street" sign and a cat sitting on a barstool. At some point recently, the mural was painted over; now all that's visible is the cat (whose name, we learned, is Mr. Balls).

Al, the manager of Mary's, explained to HouStoned that the mural was erased to make way for a new mural, which will be designed with help from the bar's regulars. "Mary's has got a lot of history and a lot of tradition, and we're not trying to get away from that," he said. To prove it, the bar plans to make and sell some prints of the old mural — a Houston keepsake worth having, we'd say.

The Houston Architecutre Info forum has also tackled the case of the disappearing mural, and one of their members explains why Mr. Balls was called Mr. Balls. Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking.

Photo: flickr user Vanita