Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales Mural
Honoring history & heritage.
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Clydesdales Mural
When it was time for Anheuser-Busch’s historical St. Louis brewery to replace one of it’s most recognizable features, leaning into the tradition was the only answer.
At over 80 feet wide by 30 feet tall, the iconic hand-painted Budweiser Clydesdales mural has towered over St. Louis since the 1960s. For locals, it’s just as recognizable and iconic as the Gateway Arch or the Mississippi River.
But as the years passed, the sign had fallen in disrepair – the wood rotted and the hand-painted graphics terribly faded. It was up to me to determine how to best bring the artwork back to life.
We had to find with the right solution in spite of countless challenges, including:
The mural was 60 ft. up, and required a licensed sign company to perform the work.
Our clients requested that the new materials used be far more durable and much easier to maintain.
Upon removal, the existing sign left the bricks behind it badly discolored from lack of sun exposure.
The original Clydesdale and hitch illustration could not be found, so new artwork needed to be created.
Both the removal and new installation needed to be done in one week to avoid any disturbances to the site.
To do this right, we could only entrust the new artwork to one person: our region’s most celebrated sign-painting legend, Phil Jarvis.
To hit our timeline and deliver the final mural as requested, we decided to have Phil work at 1/10 scale; he painted the new artwork at 8’ wide to make the production more manageable while still ensuring he could include all of the details of the Clydesdales and hitch. Added bonus: this smaller scale meant Phil could paint in his studio instead of being stuck 60’ up on a lift for multiple weeks – You’re welcome, Phil!
Phil’s new artwork was based off the historical illustration, and used the exact dimensions of the previous mural to ensure the anchor points lined up perfectly (while covering the brick discoloration as well).
In order to scale the artwork perfectly to the 80’ width, we had Phil use a paint-by-numbers approach, avoiding the use of any gradients or blending while painting. This approach allowed us to convert his artwork to vector after scanning. As vector art, it can be blown up at any scale without any loss in resolution.
We then tapped Piros Signs to fabricate the new sign out of 1/4” aluminum sheet. The panels were then digitally printed with Phil’s artwork and coated with a protective coating for longevity. Piros then carefully installed the panels piece-by -piece resulting in an updated original.
