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Local entrepreneur previews 'Casa Cultura' mural and plans for SW 60 Seventh Avenue site
Summary
Adrian Lorenzo, approved last month as leasee of 1811 SW 60 Seventh Avenue, presented three exterior mural concepts and preliminary plans for Casa Cultura—a community creative hub with gallery, micro-cinema, flex space and a coffee patio—and commissioners gave informal guidance on design and signage.
Adrian Lorenzo, the approved leasee for 1811 Southwest 60 Seventh Avenue, presented three exterior mock-ups and plans on April 2 for a new community arts space he is calling Casa Cultura.
Lorenzo told the commission the project is an outgrowth of his Cultura Media House and will include an art gallery, a micro-cinema, flex space for workshops and events, and an outdoor coffee patio. He said he plans to muralize both the exterior and interior and showed commissioners three different design options for the building’s 60 Seventh Avenue-facing façade; Lorenzo said he personally will paint the mural freehand and that the final product will evolve in situ rather than be traced from the renderings.
Why it matters: the proposal aims to activate a commercial building with cultural programming and neighborhood-serving uses while adding public artwork. Commissioners welcomed the concept as a community-driven effort and asked procedural questions about approvals for signage and the role of advisory boards.
City Manager explained to the commission that painting of a building’s exterior was referred back to the commission for approval when the lease was initially granted; by contrast, formal signage will require review by the Planning and Zoning Board. Lorenzo said he hopes to open by June and asked for directional guidance on the preferred mock-up; commissioners generally favored allowing the artist discretion while giving staff authority to ensure the signage follows planning rules.
Commissioners asked practical questions about whether the mural would extend to the sidewalk, whether painted ground areas could create conflicts with vehicle access, and how a marquee-style sign would be attached. Lorenzo said the front area would not be used for vehicle parking and described the marquee feature as an attached element rather than painted imagery. The commission offered informal direction on preferred designs and asked staff to coordinate formal signage applications with Planning and Zoning.
No formal vote was required on the design options; the commission instructed staff to finalize the approval pathway for the exterior painting and for signage review, and Lorenzo said he can move quickly once the commission and boards sign off.
