Our Man In Arlington 5-7-2026

My column last week on public signs led me down the rabbit hole of Arlington’s history on the enforcement of sign ordinances. The most famous example takes us back to 2010, when a mural on the side wall of a business led to a federal case exploring this question: Is a  mural depicting “happy cartoon dogs, bones, and paw prints”  an advertisement subject to zoning ordinance requirements, or is it simply a work of art that could remain in place? Some of you may remember this controversy, which arose when a dog daycare center, Wag More Dogs, opened in the Shirlington area, right next to a dog park along Four Mile Run. The owner of Wag More Dogs commissioned a large full wall mural when she opened for business, but she then received notice from the County that her occupancy permit was in jeopardy because the mural was an impermissible advertising sign.  

The owner had to cover the mural with a tarp, though she then challenged the County on its interpretation of the sign regulations. According to court documents, the zoning administrator stated that, in order for the mural to not be considered an impermissible sign, it could depict anything except something to do with dogs. The controversy escalated with a lawsuit filed by the business over constitutional issues. Was the mural a commercial sign? The legal answer was yes. The court ruled that the mural featuring cartoon canines meant that the owner “had an economic motivation for displaying the painting,” and thus the work fell into the category of commercial speech. 

This week I visited the site of the building and the dog park. The building is now occupied by a business known as Dogtopia, which provides dog daycare and boarding services. As for the wall, I must start by saying, it is always a good idea to go to the scene of the crime, so to speak, when there are issues involving real property. The building is at the end of a dead-end street that runs into the dog park. The only ones who could even view the wall in question would be people (and their dogs) in the dog park. To my surprise, there is a large mural on the wall facing the dog park. On a nice blue background, one can see many animals (birds flying through the sky, a tree with a cat on a limb, deer, and some funny-looking mouses). But no dogs. So, without any dogs on the mural, I guess it would be accurate to call it a work of art, and not an advertisement. The moral of this mural story might be a costly one: when deciding to have a wall painted, perhaps you have to hire an attorney to comb through the sign regulations in the zoning ordinance.  

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Dipping back into this Arlington history has prompted a search for murals that are currently in place in Arlington. I am open to recommendations from you readers as to any murals that you find to be interesting – you can email me at historybillfogs@gmail.com with any suggestions to visit. Meanwhile, let me provide some quick information on one of my favorites: the John Mercer Langston mural on the Sport Fair building at 5510 Langston Boulevard. This mural was created in September 2021 by local artist Kaliq Crosby, who was commissioned to paint this mural to celebrate the renaming of Lee Highway to Langston Boulevard, and to honor the life of John Mercer Langston. The Wikipedia entry for Langston has many details, but the very first sentence says a lot about the man: “John Mercer Langston (December 14, 1829 – November 15, 1897) was an African American abolitionist, attorney, educator, activist, diplomat, and politician.” Langston was the founding dean of the Howard University law school; the first president of what is now Virginia State University; and the first African-American in Virginia elected to Congress. I have more to say about this mural, and about the artist, Kaliq Crosby, but I have used up my allotted space, so I will follow up next week, along with any mural recommendations that I receive.