The 34th Street Wall is a 1,120-foot-long retaining wall along SW 34th Street (Florida State Road 121) in Gainesville, Florida. It was constructed in 1979 by the Florida Department of Transportation to prevent erosion on the adjoining University of Florida golf course when the road was widened from two to four lanes, necessitating cutting through a small hill. The otherwise nondescript poured concrete wall is notable for being almost entirely covered by graffiti, and it has served as a sort of ever-changing bulletin board for the Gainesville community since the 1980s. Items painted on the wall have included marriage proposals, birthday wishes, graduation announcements, celebration of athletic victories, activist and public awareness statements, tributes, promotions, and memorials, including two permanent memorial panels for victims of the Danny Rolling murders and Gainesville native Tom Petty. Although most of the graffiti is painted by university students and other members of the community, there is occasional tagging and professional art. After decades of use, it is estimated that paint on the center of the wall is about 250 layers thick. History and description The 34th Street wall was built by the Florida Department of Transportation in 1979 to support a low hill on the edge of the University of Florida golf course that was sliced in half when the road was widened. Since it adjoins a state highway, the wall is technically owned by the state. Though the city of Gainesville removed graffiti that appeared on the wall soon after it was completed, it gradually became a sort of public bulletin board for the community. Defacing of government property generally violates statutes against vandalism or criminal mischief, but neither the Alachua County Sheriff's Office nor the Gainesville Police Department have ever charged anyone for painting on the wall. There were several unsuccessful attempts to remove the graffiti in the 1980s, including painting the wall white and adding graffiti resistant coating. However, the ever-changing graffiti came to be seen as a local landmark over the following years, and acceding to public sentiment, state and local officials stopped trying to remove the graffiti. In the 1990s, the city installed several trash bins on the adjoining sidewalk to allow for proper disposal of painting supplies. The wall has occasionally been used for official purposes by the city of Gainesville and the University of Florida, such as promoting public events. The city also helped to ensure that