Building repairs on the Olsen Furniture building at the south end of Bergen Place Park means the removal of a ten year-old mural from the side of the Olsen building.

Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Ballard Historical Society and the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association are helping Olsen Furniture coordinate the removal.

Repairs on the building are slated to begin by Sept. 9, so work is being done to meet that deadline for the murals displacement.

However, the parties are discussing the murals possible return after the repairs are finished.

The mural depicts scenes of Ballard's history and Nordic heritage and has been a colorful and welcomed part of Bergen Place Park since it was installed in 1995. A community effort from the Ballard Historical Society and the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association and help from a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant, saw the mural put into place.

It is partially affixed to the Olsen building wall, and the existing lease between the City and the building owners provides for the mural's removal for repairs or for changes to the building. At this time, neither the building repairs nor the mural restoration work have been scheduled, so it is uncertain how long the mural will be missing from public view.

The park, located at the heart of Ballard's business district, was named Bergen Place in honor of Seattle's Sister City in Norway and was formally dedicated in 1975 by Olav V, King of Norway.