A former restaurant eyed by strip-club owner Samuel J.T. Moore III as a site for a bikini bar has been covered with graffiti.
All four sides of the former Julian's Restaurant at 2612 W. Broad St. are swathed in graffiti so fresh that it smelled of paint last night.
Moore faces the first day of a proposed two-day hearing this morning before the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for alleged violations linked to operations at his Club Velvet strip club in Shockoe Bottom.
Moore could not be reached for comment last night. A message signed "S.M." beside the door of the Broad Street site describes graffiti as "a beautiful and powerful art form which is unappreciated in today's society."
The spray-painted designs show a likeness of Moore and in several places are signed "Dr. B."
The "Dr. B" tag has allegedly been used by Chad J. Niemi, 33, who was arrested last month on charges that he defaced property at city parks. Niemi faces a Dec. 1 court hearing on those charges.
No charges have been brought in the graffiti on the Broad Street building because "the owner apparently gave permission for the graffiti artist to paint the building, which is private property," Richmond police Capt. David Martin said last night.
A Craigslist job posting from Nov. 2 headlined "graffiti artists needed (downtown Richmond)" said artists were needed "to tag building interior and exterior of 15,000 s/f restaurant on broad."
Moore's proposed use for the building stirred concerns in the neighborhood last year because it is across from the Children's Museum of Richmond.
-- Bill McKelway
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