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The property owner and principal of Thalhimer Realty Partners, Drew Wiltshire, released a statement to the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Tuesday. In it, he acknowledges that several muralists reached out to request that their work be removed. Three artists asked to keep their murals unchanged.

鈥淲e鈥檝e taken that guidance seriously and have been working toward a thoughtful approach that honors their wishes,鈥� Wiltshire said.

The Padel Plant sits in a designated historic structure, which Wiltshire says binds them to Virginia鈥檚 preservation standards. That, he says, is why the murals are being covered with a neutral base coat as seen in the Reddit post.

Wiltshire also says that the business has tried to avoid needing to cover the murals.

鈥淲hile our hope has always been to keep as many murals in place as possible, we remain committed to honoring both the artists鈥� wishes and the preservation guidelines,鈥� Wiltshire said.

In May, Richmond muralist Mickael Broth painted 鈥渘ot for sale鈥� over his mural called 鈥淭he Witch.鈥� This followed a dispute between the venue owners and the artist.

鈥淎s the copyright holder to the work, I was entitled to tell them that they did not have the right to display my work,鈥� Broth said.

At the time, Padel Plant owners Sam and Alex Nordheimer vowed that the murals weren鈥檛 going anywhere.

When Padel Plant opened in January, Broth asked them to paint over his mural. The Nordheimers offered to let Broth paint over it, but refused to do it themselves.

In February 2024, Broth spoke out about his concerns over the sale of the property.

鈥淚 personally am concerned that putting anything 鈥� a court, or bar 鈥� in front of the murals essentially turns them into background and removes (their) power,鈥� Broth said in 2024.

On July 1, the exterior courts at the business were vandalized. A glass panel was shattered with the words 鈥淔*** you!鈥� painted across it.

Wiltshire called it 鈥渁 pretty bold effort.鈥�

Wiltshire said at the time that replacing a court would cost around $40,000. The business only needed to replace a portion of the court, so they did not incur the full cost. The damage also forced Padel Plant to close temporarily. The property owner says that the crime was caught on surveillance camera, showing the vandal, but no arrests have been made by police.

鈥淚 view this as a distraction that we have to deal with,鈥� Wiltshire said.

Padel Plant, an indoor pickleball arena with a cafe, was developed in the abandoned Haxall Power Plant. The plant closed in 1965 and has been sitting unused ever since.

The building had a series of murals painted along it back in 2012 during the RVA Street Art Festival. Since then, the stretch of art has become a popular walkway.

Moving forward, Wiltshire says they are planning on painting over sections of the mural wall at the request of the artists, starting a 鈥渘ew creative chapter鈥� for the building. New exterior murals, he says, are not currently part of future plans.

鈥淲e have collaborated with a group of the original artists to create a beautiful new interior piece that has already been completed,鈥� Wiltshire said. 鈥淏ringing new life to our building while continuing the creative dialogue that began outside.鈥�

The Padel Plant says that it is grateful for the passion, dialogue and creativity that continue to define Richmond. They also say they look forward to what comes next.

鈥淲e understand that these murals have meant a tremendous amount to many in our community,鈥� Wiltshire said. 鈥淲e share in that admiration and do not take this step lightly.鈥�