Old mural revealed during demolition of The Viking

Update: The center of the mural has been carved out. See our update.

Crews demolished the iconic Ballard tavern The Viking on Friday, but a single wall remains standing with a mural — not the viking mural that adorned the wall of the establishment when it closed, but another mural underneath it.

Here it is, as of Saturday morning. (Click above see larger.)

Upon closer inspection, it’s signed “Johnsen” without a date.

It’s located just inside the front door, to the left. For those who remember The Viking, that’s where another viking mural was located. You can see it this file photo provided by My Ballard reader Kurt:

“You’d think someone would want to salvage what appears to be a vintage mural,” Kurt wrote us. Adds Chris in another email of the last wall standing, “[It’s] a true act of defiance!”

As we wrote earlier this week, The Viking and nearby buildings are being demolished to make way for a new mixed use development called “Ballard Lofts.” There’s no word whether the mural on the remaining wall will be demolished, or if there’s an effort underway to remove it first. It’s also unclear if the Viking owners removed the latest mural and left the old one behind. We’re looking into it, and if anyone has any information, please share in comments or send us an email at tips@myballard.com.

(Thanks Kurt and Chris for the tips!)