Gabey Walden arrived at the auction of Fry Street memorabilia Friday night on a mission.

The college student wanted to claim a piece of drywall from The Tomato bearing a sketch she’d drawn of the pizzeria during a meal there years ago.

A half-hour later it was hers, thanks to a winning $5 bid.

“I guess I’ll put it in my room for now, I don’t know,” Walden said. “I just really wanted it.”

Walden wasn’t the only one to walk away with a piece of Denton’s past.

Several dozen people took part in the auction, picking out items from vacated businesses along Fry Street’s main block just days before they’re to be bulldozed for a new commercial development.

Proceeds from the auction will benefit Habitat for Humanity of Denton County. The nonprofit group coordinated the event with Houston developer United Equities Inc. — which is redeveloping Fry Street — as a way to preserve building materials and memorabilia and raise money for Habitat.

Participants bid on assorted items including the sign and awning from the former Bottoms Up bar, steps and graffiti-covered wood planks from The Tomato and a safe from Treasure Aisles.

The 1980s-era mural outside the former Bagheri’s restaurant depicting several pop-culture icons drew the highest bids of the evening.

Greg Converse of Dallas, who said he represented United Equities, pledged $1,600 for three portions of the mural. He said the developer wanted to incorporate the art in the planned Fry Street Village, and contribute to Habitat at the same time.

The move drew praise from auctioneer Chuck Buttram, director of the local Habitat ReStore, which sells new and used construction materials.

“The Beatles, the Beaver and John Wayne are going to live on,” Buttram said, referring to images in the mural. “I’m glad to see that happen.”

Two sections of the mural, which feature Denton businessman Sheldon Newman and former Minnesota Vikings player Dennis Swilley, failed to draw bids. But Converse said they’d likely still be preserved.

Habitat hopes to remove the mural, which is painted on cinder blocks, before demolition begins on the block Monday.

College students and others have long been drawn to the intersection of Fry and Hickory streets, just off the University of North Texas campus, for its eclectic independent businesses and regular musical events.

Last year, United Equities announced it had purchased most of the block and planned to redevelop it, drawing protests from residents who wanted to protect existing businesses and buildings, some dating to the 1920s.

Fry Street Village is expected to incorporate some of the same architectural elements as the current strip of businesses. The developer has also pledged to showcase photos and other memorabilia from Fry Street and UNT history.

Buttram had said he hoped Friday’s auction would raise $50,000 for Habitat, enough to build a new home for a low-income family. The total is expected to fall well short of that, but he said it was too early to say how much was raised.

Many of the leftover items will be sold at the Habitat ReStore on Shady Oaks Drive or online at eBay and Craigslist, Buttram said.

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com.