PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Stone House in Forest Park, covered by graffiti, was finally cleaned up Wednesday.
It was a jarring exception to the natural surroundings on the trail.
“It is just such an eyesore because this is such a pretty area," said Dublin Liles, who was on a jog down the Wildwood trail. “You are running around and this is what you see.”
Over the last few years, taggers have been making their own personal touches to The Stone House, until it became a multi-colored billboard of graffiti.
“Somebody will put something over the top of it, and then something over the top of it,” said Paul Watts, owner of Graffiti Removal Services. “So what you are seeing is like 6, 7 or 10 years of paint. Layers of paint.”
Photos: Graffiti removed from the Stone House
Watts' crew got to work cleaning Wednesday, and they had their work cut out for them. They laid down mats to keep spray from running off into a nearby stream. The location was the real challenge.
“There is no way we can get hoses down here so we have to think outside the box,” Watts said.
They muscled wagons full of equipment and many people on the trail were happy to see the paint being washed away.
“This is such a nice clean fresh spot,” said Liles “The graffiti isn't something you want to see down here.”
Watts says they will add a coating to the Stone House so future tagging can be removed a little easier. He says graffiti tends to spread like a virus so if you see graffiti at the Stone House, report it quickly before it gets out of control again.