Padres' Tony Gwynn Featured on New Mural in La Jolla

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jul 21, 2024

Robert Hanashiro via Imagn Content

A new mural honoring San Diego Padres legend Tony Gwynn has gone up at the Mandarin House restaurant in La Jolla, California.

Owner Nelson Law said having a mural of longtime "Mr. Padre" makes sense and reminds him of his childhood. He grew up in San Diego and at Mandarin House which was owned by his parents.

“Tony Gwynn was a hero to my whole generation of San Diego kids,” Law said. “We’re so honored to have this mural on the Mandarin House.”

The Ground Floor Murals team is at it again with a new Tony Gwynn mural going up at Mandarin House in La Jolla! pic.twitter.com/6kh7Zn449l

— Mark Bartlett (@mark_a_bartlett) June 13, 2024

Law has wanted a mural for quite some time but didn't have an exact plan for what it would look like until a conversation with a customer brought forth an idea.

“Me and a customer had been stewing about what to put on that wall for a long time,” Law said. “Last year, we talked about having a Padres mural. But we didn’t settle on a player and the conversation kind of fell by the wayside.”

The mural conversation was reignited when local artists Paul Jimenez and Signe Ditona of San Diego-based Ground Floor Murals posted a video on social media. They were searching for a blank wall to house a Gwynn mural.

Two locations were chosen for free artwork and the final product was finished in June,.

“They did a really good job in the face,” Law said. “Watching them put it up was amazing. There were so many details. It’s cool to drive by and look into his eyes for a minute. I think it turned out great.

“I grew up here, it was my dad’s restaurant and I took it over, so I grew up running around there and eating there. That nostalgia is part of why I took it over. So to have Tony Gwynn be a part of that is everything to me.”