One of the largest pieces of public art in Torrance is about to make its official debut—and you probably won’t have any trouble spotting it.

 

Acclaimed Los Angeles artist Robert Vargas is unveiling “The Storm Is Coming” on Tuesday, September 8, a towering 12-story mural covering the north side of the DoubleTree by Hilton Torrance – South Bay near Del Amo Fashion Center.

 

The mural depicts Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and safety Derwin James Jr., surrounded by the electric imagery that inspired the work’s name. Vargas painted the massive piece freehand. The Chargers put its height at roughly 130 feet.

 

But what makes this especially interesting for Torrance is what sits on the other side of the same hotel.

 

Earlier this year, Vargas completed “Samurai of the Diamond,” honoring Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki. With the Chargers mural on the north wall and the Dodgers mural on the south, the DoubleTree is effectively becoming a giant two-sided sports-art landmark.

 

The City says the two murals together form one of the largest-scale art installations in Los Angeles County. Their location also guarantees an enormous audience: the stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard beside the hotel carries approximately 70,000 vehicle trips a day, or about 25.5 million annually.

 

The Torrance City Council unanimously approved the Chargers mural in August, and the City says no municipal funds are being spent on the project.

 

What was once simply a very visible hotel near Del Amo is quickly turning into something else entirely—a Torrance landmark built around sports, art and the city’s position in the middle of greater Los Angeles culture.

 

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