You might expect people to welcome street art on an abandoned old power plant, but things are a bit more complicated when it comes to the Hearn Generating Station, which was recently hit with two absolutely gigantic graffiti tags on its upper level.

A variety of people have noticed and commented on the new addition(s) to the hulking power station over the last few weeks, and the work has received mixed reviews.

This graffiti on the Hearn Power Station is bloody huge (that’s Pinewood Studios in front). Also pretty new; left pic is from a month ago. pic.twitter.com/5x7P3mWlDV

— 👻 Phlegm Parrot (@gembarrett) September 24, 2017

The words "FORTE" and "CAUSR" — pseudonyms for the artists — have been written across the entire length of the building, prompting one concerned citizen to declare it a "goddamn blight" on the city.

Others have noted that the graffiti diminishes the Hearn's industrial heritage, though it seems sites like these become a magnet for such activity.

Destroying industrial heritage with large-scale graffiti in the port lands. #Toronto #architecture #Hearn #waterfront #portlands pic.twitter.com/njTEdCBMX5

— VikPhoto (@VikPahwa) October 7, 2017

Graffiti is always a contentious issue, with a strand of social disdain often linked in part to the Broken windows theory of the 1980s. But, like any work of art, people tend to project their own sentiments onto it.

For the most part Toronto is pretty tolerant of graffiti. The city has designated public spaces to its proliferation, local artists are commissioned to create public art, and some of us have embraced its role in asking the important questions.

As such, some were diplomatic about the use of the Hearn as a canvas for artistic expression.

I appreciate all forms of art (especially #graffiti) and applaud the fact that #Forte managed to lay down one of his largest pieces on such a massive structure... but I also think a #Heritage building like the #HearnGeneratingStation should be left untouched. At the end of the day, Artists will be Artists!

A post shared by Chris Shepherd (@shepsappeal) on Sep 26, 2017 at 6:06pm PDT

It's hard to say whether it'll be removed given that the Hearn primarily functions as a film studio these days. The focus is mostly on the impressive interior of the building. In any case, the graffiti is kind of impressive for its sheer scale.