All it takes to wipe out two days of work by vandals is a bit of cleanser.

The iconic Fry Street mural on the side of the former Jim’s Diner depicting the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Beaver and Wally Cleaver, and John Wayne, among others, was well on its way to restoration Monday evening after vandals sprayed green paint over the eyes of the artwork subjects late Friday, then came the next night to deface the mural even more.

DRC/Barron Ludlum

David Ruffu, who restores local historic documents, works Monday on removing green paint from a mural on the side of the former Jim’s Diner on Fry Street.

David Ruffu, who restores historic documents locally, worked for hours dabbing paint from the marred faces.

“At this point, my concern is getting it restored, not about the anger,” Ruffu said as passers-by stopped throughout the day, some expressing their irritation over the vandalism and inquire whether the murals were salvageable.

A United Equities Inc. representative bought three of the panels for $1,600 in a charity auction late Friday. United Equities is razing the main block of Fry Street to make way for Fry Street Village, a development including stores, restaurants and other retail. Some Denton area residents opposed the project and tried to save the 1920s-era buildings, but were not successful.

Fences were put up around the block Monday as the first step in the demolition, planned for this week.

The Houston developer had allowed Habitat for Humanity of Denton County to sell assorted materials from the vacated buildings as a fundraiser. A portion of the mural was slated to be part of a history wall commemorating Fry Street and the University of North Texas in the proposed new development.

Ruffu’s dabbing kept the paint moistened enough to keep it from setting, he said. The vandals also didn’t take into account that the layer of dust covering the mural also would keep the paint from setting, he said.

After the mural is removed from the wall, Ruffu will continue to work on the restoration to prepare them for the new owners.

DRC/Barron Ludlum

Bill Weeks, owner of Cross Crete Decorative Concrete Inc., volunteered Monday to try to move a mural, which is on a building slated for demolition.

A concrete specialist arrived late Monday afternoon to try to remove the painted concrete blocks on the side of the building, which most recently housed Bagheri’s Italian Restaurant.

Bill Weeks, owner of Cross Crete Decorative Concrete Inc., said late Monday that he was hoping to finish the removal of the mural by day’s end.

“I’m planning on getting around the sides and then strapping the middle to keep it from falling apart,” Weeks said.

“Hopefully, everything will hold up,” said his wife, Anita Weeks. “One of the benefits is that the pieces are smaller than we thought.”

Metal bars had been put around several panels, and edges had been chipped out to allow workers to see which blocks to cut.

Chuck Buttram, director of Habitat’s local ReStore, said the developer was still interested in the mural panels.

“If they can be restored, then they [United Equities] are still interested,” he said. “If they can’t be, then we’re just going to let them go.”

Gene Hartman, owner of the Campus Barbershop, one of the remaining Fry Street businesses, said he bought one of the panels depicting longtime friend Sheldon Newman.

“I’m going to buy the Sheldon Newman piece and put it on the Fry Street wall,” Hartman said. “United Equities is using the celebrities, but if it really wants a piece of Denton history, Sheldon should be up there too. He was the face of Fry Street for a long time and is an important part of the community.”

“If they don’t let me put it up on the wall, then I’ll just keep it in my shop,” Hartman said.

Staff writer Andrew Barge contributed to this report.

DAWN COBB can be reached at 940-566-6879. Her e-mail address is dcobb@dentonrc.com