 "Photo: Heather Hilliard")
A friendly greeting from a frog nicknamed "Jeremiah" has amused Austin residents for more than a decade with its cartoonish style and curious "Hi, How are you?" tagline.
Earlier this month, however, Austin nearly lost the icon painted by local artist and singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston.
Baja Fresh Mexican Grill planned to remove the mural before it opened its new franchise at 2100 Guadalupe.
"It was this chain restaurant out of California that was coming into Austin and trying to change the way our city looked without any regard to what we value," said Dan Solomon, a screenwriter who lives near the site.
When residents noticed construction work surrounding the "Jeremiah" mural, many became concerned over the fate of the likable frog.
"I think it expresses a lot of the spirit of Austin," Solomon said. "It's friendly, amusing and a little subversive."
Solomon decided to investigate the matter on his own. After learning of Baja Fresh's intention to tear down the mural, Solomon rallied Austin protesters via the Internet.
Baja Fresh franchise owner John Oudt had no idea his new restaurant was threatening an Austin icon.
"We went through 10 weeks of planning the renovations and working with the city of Austin, and no one mentioned the frog had any significance," Oudt said. "We had planned to cut out the wall along 21st for windows. That's when it hit the fan."
Solomon estimated 30 protesters gathered outside the former Sound Exchange building Jan. 6 in an effort to preserve the mural. Oudt agreed to meet with the Austinites.
"I simply explained to him the importance of the frog. He was completely shocked. He had no idea. He just assumed it was some graffiti on the side of his wall," Solomon said.
Daniel Johnston originally created "Jeremiah" for the cover of his "Hi, How Are You?" album. Johnston's growing popularity in the underground music scene led Sound Exchange to ask him to turn the frog into a mural on the wall facing 21st Street.
"The minute I opened up [Johnston's] site and saw a pic of Kurt Cobain with a frog on his chest, I knew I was making a mistake," Oudt said, referring to the deceased Nirvana star's MTV appearance in which he wore a frog T-shirt.
"[Oudt] was just initially unaware of the cultural significance of that mural, and once he was aware of that from the community, he was more than happy to accommodate the request," said Megan Weiler of the Austin Arts in Public Places program.
After speaking with protesters and executives from Baja Fresh, Oudt agreed to protect the mural. He estimated that changes in the renovations and architectural plans will cost about $50,000 and will delay the opening of Baja Fresh one month. Oudt now estimates it will open in late March or April.
"It's going to be a very weird Baja Fresh, which I hope will keep the 'Keep Austin Weird' people happy. We just hope to be part of the UT community," Oudt said.
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