MADISON, Wis. — A mural is being painted on the old Ella’s Deli property, honoring its legacy.
Artists Bill Rebholz and Eddie Perrote are spending their days on a big crane. They’re painting the new Ella’s Apartments on East Washington Avenue.
Ella’s Deli was a Madison institution. The first location opened in the 60s, serving kosher items.
Over time, the East Washington location became iconic. It was beloved for the food and ice cream, of course — but the carousel made it a landmark.
In 2018, the owners closed Ella’s and sold off the property. The land is now home to Ella’s Apartments, still under construction.
The developers, New Year Investments, reached out to Rebholz to paint a mural on the building. It was an unofficial, tentative plan at first.
“That was the longest timeline I’ve experienced doing this kind of thing,” Rebholz said.
More than two years later, the Madison native is finally painting his design on the side of the apartment building. The design is bright and whimsical, echoing the tradition of Ella’s Deli.
“We engaged with the community a bit, and they wanted a lively scene,” Rebholz said. “In my own illustrations, [that’s what] I work with. Characters, animals, plants and things.”
Rebholz started painting in early May, and now his friend and fellow Madison native artist Eddie Perrote has joined him.
They spend basically all day up on that crane. While Rebholz has done it before, he equated being up in the air to being on the water: It takes him a bit each time to get his “sea legs” back.
Now that they’ve painted through 90º days, they’re ready to get the piece finished.
“I’m looking forward to not painting it anymore,” Perrote laughed.
At 45 feet tall and 75 feet wide, this will likely be Madison’s biggest mural to date. That doesn’t phase the artists much. Instead, they’re more focused on how accessible public art is: All anyone has to do is drive or walk by to enjoy it.
“It functions a lot differently than something like how people would think of art in a gallery or something,” Perrote said. “It's just part of everyday life.”
The fluctuating weather has thrown them for a loop. However, the team plans to be finished with the mural by Memorial Day weekend.
