"There's a stigma attached to graffiti. A piece of art is only as nice as the context it's in," Gonzales says. "If it's in a lot filled with garbage, people are going to associate it with vandalism. We're trying to recontextualize graffiti."
More than attracting any specific tenant or business, Garret says the restoration is a chance to return ownership and agency to the people of Wilkinsburg.