Public record.
Wyland Whaling Wall 82 "Ocean Life"
Historical view; photograph date unknown · Image source: Image published by Wyland Foundation. Photographer unidentified.
Wyland Whaling Wall 82, titled Ocean Life, is a large-scale marine wildlife mural by artist Wyland (Robert Wyland) on a downtown Dallas building at 505 N Akard St. Created in 1999, the mural covers a multi-story masonry exterior wall and features life-sized humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, and other ocean wildlife painted in Wyland's signature hyperrealistic style. It is one of 100 Whaling Walls painted by Wyland across the United States and the world between 1981 and 2008, each dedicated to ocean conservation and marine life education. The wall was a downtown Dallas landmark for over twenty-five years. In spring 2026, the mural was painted over in connection with FIFA World Cup 2026 Dallas host city activations. The work is preserved in this record.
- Artist
- Wyland
- City
- Dallas
- Country
- USA
- Location
- 505 N Akard St, Dallas, TX 75201
- Year
- 1999
- Record
- CELLA-2110
History and sources
Documentation accepted
Observation date:
Dedication documented: the Wyland Foundation lists Ocean Life (Whaling Wall 82) at 505 Akard Street, Dallas, as dedicated on April 16, 1999. This is the dedication date; no exact painting-completion date is asserted.
Accepted: 2026-09-29
Condition report accepted
Observation date:
Reported painted over
Paint-over documented on May 14, 2026: Dallas Observer reporting and Emma Ruby photographs show the wall being covered in blue, with most covered by that afternoon. This is a documented observation, not a claimed start or completion date; surviving portions are not asserted absent.
Accepted: 2026-09-29
Condition updated
Observation date:
Reported painted over
Paint-over documented on May 14, 2026: Dallas Observer reporting and Emma Ruby photographs show the wall being covered in blue, with most covered by that afternoon. This is a documented observation, not a claimed start or completion date; surviving portions are not asserted absent.
Accepted preservation report; date describes the source observation, not necessarily when the condition began.
The record stays available when an artwork changes or is no longer there.