SXSW founder Roland Swenson has been outted as “the vandal” who renamed Bowie St in Austin, Texas ‘David Bowie St’.
Swenson and Wicked Signs owner Jason Carter came up with the idea to honor David Bowie after they heard of his passing on Monday. According to KEYE TV, the pair changed the Austin street sign in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Carter made the sticker reading ‘David Bowie St’ to fit perfectly over the original sign. KEVE TV reports that their lawyers claim that Swenson and Carter were “paying tribute to a great musician” and “never intended to vandalize”.
The sign can be found at 5th Street and Bowie in Austin across the street from the SXSW office.
Bowie St, Austin is named after James Bowie, the Kentucky born hero of the Alamo. A petition has now begun to have the street permanently named David Bowie St.
Austin has a precedent for famous names in street signs. In 2010 Second Street Austin was Willie Nelson Boulevard. The City of Austin has agreed to leave the sign up until January 19 as a makeshift memorial.
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