There are certain Philadelphia "things" that I take for granted. Things that I am cognizant of yet don't realize the uniqueness of this "thing" to Philadelphia. I grew up thinking that every city has Mummers, only to learn in college that the colorful musical groups only exist in Philadelphia. Likewise I've grown up seeing murals all over the city...everywhere I walk, there's always a mural. Unlike the Mummers who perform at certain times of the year these murals are "performing" 24/7/365. I've always thought every other city also has a bunch of murals everywhere. Not true. While other cities may receive more attention for their artwork, no city can match Philadelphia's volume, which has over 3,600 officially recognized murals,more than any other city in the world.
I think other cities like Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Buenos Aires receive more focus because of a concentration of street art in a specific area (like Wynnwood or La Boca). Philadelphia is the only city you can explore neighborhood by neighborhood, mural by mural. You can create your own walking tour of the city using murals as the destination. I've tried to group the murals below by neighborhood but other times the murals are organized by theme, such as sports.
Visit www.muralarts.org, the official website of Philadelphia's murals program, although the site could be a bit better organized and have a more comprehensive list.
I think other cities like Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Buenos Aires receive more focus because of a concentration of street art in a specific area (like Wynnwood or La Boca). Philadelphia is the only city you can explore neighborhood by neighborhood, mural by mural. You can create your own walking tour of the city using murals as the destination. I've tried to group the murals below by neighborhood but other times the murals are organized by theme, such as sports.
Visit www.muralarts.org, the official website of Philadelphia's murals program, although the site could be a bit better organized and have a more comprehensive list.
NORTH BROAD
My favorite mural is the Julius Erving, more famously known as Dr. J, painting at 1234 Ridge Avenue. It's simple and elegant. I find it incredibly creative, because it's a different take on an athelete, compared to other murals. There's many other murals that try to be creative but come off instead as overly extravagant. This mural is Dr. J in a suit. That's it. You could look at it and have no idea who it is. I believe many Philadelphians would not recognize Dr. J outside of his Sixers uniform. That's the simple, elegance, and creativity of the painting. I also love that the painting is in a virtual "No Mans" land at 12th and Ridge. The surrounding area has started to gentrify but on this block the only thing going is Dr. J.
My favorite mural is the Julius Erving, more famously known as Dr. J, painting at 1234 Ridge Avenue. It's simple and elegant. I find it incredibly creative, because it's a different take on an athelete, compared to other murals. There's many other murals that try to be creative but come off instead as overly extravagant. This mural is Dr. J in a suit. That's it. You could look at it and have no idea who it is. I believe many Philadelphians would not recognize Dr. J outside of his Sixers uniform. That's the simple, elegance, and creativity of the painting. I also love that the painting is in a virtual "No Mans" land at 12th and Ridge. The surrounding area has started to gentrify but on this block the only thing going is Dr. J.
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This area also features the only (?) Ben Franklin mural in the city. It seems hard to believe that Philadelphia's most famous resident wouldn't be plastered everywhere but that seems to be the case. In the age when Absolut Vodka ads were all the rage, there was a huge Ben Franklin Absolut ad at 8th and Market but that painting faded when Absolut did. The Ben Franklin Mural is on the front, Broad Street side of Ben Franklin Highschool. Those two eyes gazing down - those would be Ben's. Across Broad Street from Ben Franklin Highschool is the Common Threads mural. It's a newcomer to the Philadelphia Mural Scene having been completed in May 2016. The mural depicts Philadelphians in various postures of historical figures.
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Farther north on Broad is the Divine Loraine Hotel, which in a word is a divine building. It offers a glimpse of Broad Street's glorious past. Alternatively you could start at Ben Franklin Highschool and walk east along Spring Garden to Llama Tooth and/or Roy Pitz Barrel House and/or Love Brewing.
STRAWBERRY MANSION
The MLK mural below is located on the Martin Luther King Jr. Adult Center at 2132 Cecil B. Moore Avenue. This is a great mural of MKL crossing the Pettus Bridge (I believe), although some of the Black leaders in this photo did not participate in that event (which is why I say I believe it's at the Pettus Bridge). From this mural there's some other great murals in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood.
The MLK mural below is located on the Martin Luther King Jr. Adult Center at 2132 Cecil B. Moore Avenue. This is a great mural of MKL crossing the Pettus Bridge (I believe), although some of the Black leaders in this photo did not participate in that event (which is why I say I believe it's at the Pettus Bridge). From this mural there's some other great murals in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood.
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Philadelphia's Strawberry Mansion neighborhood sits on the eastern edge of East Fairmount Park, an area that few locals and visitors pass through on their way to or from the City. It takes for a major accident on the Schuylkill, MLK Drive, and the Kelly Drive to use 33rd Street and Ridge Avenue as alternative means to return home from Center City. Whenever I do pass through this neighborhood I'm always amazed by the glory this neighborhood once held. There's nearby attractions and dining options but nothing that falls directly within the neighborhood boundaries which makes visiting murals the ideal way to take a self guided tour through this section of the city.
Strawberry Mansions most famous resident was John Coltrane, who although he wasn't born in the city, he did call 1511 33rd Street home for some of his most creative and productive years. He has a mural on the southeast corner of Diamond and 29th. A block south on 29th at the Ridge Avenue intersection is a small mural in honor of Robert Wilson, a police officer who was killed off duty while protecting other customers in a GameStop that was being burglarized. A few more blocks north on Ridge at Dauphin Street is a mural of Malcolm X.
Strawberry Mansions most famous resident was John Coltrane, who although he wasn't born in the city, he did call 1511 33rd Street home for some of his most creative and productive years. He has a mural on the southeast corner of Diamond and 29th. A block south on 29th at the Ridge Avenue intersection is a small mural in honor of Robert Wilson, a police officer who was killed off duty while protecting other customers in a GameStop that was being burglarized. A few more blocks north on Ridge at Dauphin Street is a mural of Malcolm X.
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From here head back out to 33rd Street and park near the traffic light at Montgomery Street. One block east is the Urban Cowboys mural, arguably one of the best in the city. It's stunning from 33rd street and even more impressive once you are standing directly in front. The mural commemorates Philadelphia Legends: The Urban Cowboy. I never heard of the Urban Cowboys until seeing an exhibit at the Barnes Museum. Now Idris Elba is starring in a movie about the Cowboys.
Farther south at 1511 33rd Street is John Coltrane's former house. If I was running Philadelphia I'd revitalize this neighborhood starting with turning Coltrane's house into a museum during the day then jazz lounge at night - I'm not the only one wondering what to do with the property. Supposedly ownership of the house remains in his extended family.
Farther south at 1511 33rd Street is John Coltrane's former house. If I was running Philadelphia I'd revitalize this neighborhood starting with turning Coltrane's house into a museum during the day then jazz lounge at night - I'm not the only one wondering what to do with the property. Supposedly ownership of the house remains in his extended family.
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Stay Golden is a new mural for 2020. It's a few blocks away from the Urban Cowboy mural and memoralizes events in the city during the summer of 2020.
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THE SPIRIT OF PHILLY AND AMERICA
The one thing about Philadelphia murals is that only a few of them embrace Americana - i.e. there's not many that have American flags, eagles, or celebrate the founding of the country or its founding fathers. The flag below is on the side of a warehouse at 500 N. Columbus Blvd. (easier to drive) and the eagle is on the side of a building in a Fishtown parking lot.
The one thing about Philadelphia murals is that only a few of them embrace Americana - i.e. there's not many that have American flags, eagles, or celebrate the founding of the country or its founding fathers. The flag below is on the side of a warehouse at 500 N. Columbus Blvd. (easier to drive) and the eagle is on the side of a building in a Fishtown parking lot.
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FAMOUS PHILADELPHIANS
Other than Rocky, is there a more famous Philadelphian than Will Smith? Two, interrelated notes on his mural in West Philly at 4545 West Girard Avenue. It is not an official mural commissioned by the Mural Arts Program. It is in private property with gated access. The only way to see the mural is to park on Girard Avenue heading east, then cross the street. Since the mural is on the west side of the building its easy to miss when driving west.
Heading back into West Philly at 909 Belmont Avenue is another media personality that called Philadelphia home, Ed Bradley. There was a snippet on 60 Minutes showing the production team helping to create the mural.
Other than Rocky, is there a more famous Philadelphian than Will Smith? Two, interrelated notes on his mural in West Philly at 4545 West Girard Avenue. It is not an official mural commissioned by the Mural Arts Program. It is in private property with gated access. The only way to see the mural is to park on Girard Avenue heading east, then cross the street. Since the mural is on the west side of the building its easy to miss when driving west.
Heading back into West Philly at 909 Belmont Avenue is another media personality that called Philadelphia home, Ed Bradley. There was a snippet on 60 Minutes showing the production team helping to create the mural.
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That crazy looking guy in the bullseye playing the violin? That would be Larry Fine, one third of the Three Stooges. Fine was born a 3rd and South - the building is (was?) Jon's, a good neighborhood bar/restaurant that was always a good place to grab a beer on a sunny day. Philadelphia has a long and proud music tradition - that's Mario Lanza below. I need to visit the Marian Anderson Community Center again now that a mural of her has been painted on one of the center's walls.
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Octavius Catto was a civil rights activist after the Civil War who was assasinated on South Street in 1871. The city commemorated his legacy with this mural on the side of Universal Charter School, which is on Catherine Street between Broad and 15th. It's a large mural, in a tight space, so it's a bit tricky to get a decent photo and appreciate the scale and wonder of the mural.
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SOUTHWEST CENTER CITY
The Peace Wall mural is located at 1308 S 29th Street. The mural was completed in 1997 to help heal the neighborhood, after racial violence in the Grays Ferry Neighborhood. Twenty years later Grays Ferry...is still Grays Ferry...but hey white people are buying $600,000 townhomes here now and getting a property tax abatement.
The Peace Wall mural is located at 1308 S 29th Street. The mural was completed in 1997 to help heal the neighborhood, after racial violence in the Grays Ferry Neighborhood. Twenty years later Grays Ferry...is still Grays Ferry...but hey white people are buying $600,000 townhomes here now and getting a property tax abatement.
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Keith Haring was a relatively well reknowned artist in the 1980s who's life was cut short by AIDS. We the Youth is one of his only remaining public art creations that's still available to view and its kind of a big deal it's in Philadelphia. The mural is at 22nd and Ellsworth Street.
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Aspire: No Limits, a tribute to local Philadelphia Dr. Shawn White (21st and Ellsworth) and Peace is a Haiku Song (1415 Christian Street) are two other murals to include in a mural tour of this neighborhood.
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POLITICAL STATEMENTS
Many murals make political statements but a few more overtly than others. The Families Belong Together mural at 2536 is one of the more overt political statements. This mural went up in 2018. I'm not sure whether the barb wire fence is on purpose or not but it integrates well with the mural.
Many murals make political statements but a few more overtly than others. The Families Belong Together mural at 2536 is one of the more overt political statements. This mural went up in 2018. I'm not sure whether the barb wire fence is on purpose or not but it integrates well with the mural.
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The Stamp of Incarceration is a series of several murals throughout the City but the most prominent can be viewed from The Rail Park in Callowhill. The mural contains interesting (disturbing) facts about the U.S. criminal justice system.
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ONE RANDOM MURAL OVER A FEW CITY BLOCKS
There's a stretch of Germantown Avenue, from Somerset St. down to Huntingdon St. in which all the buildings are painted. It makes for one giant, unique, incredibly random mural. I need to head back here during the day.
There's a stretch of Germantown Avenue, from Somerset St. down to Huntingdon St. in which all the buildings are painted. It makes for one giant, unique, incredibly random mural. I need to head back here during the day.
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THE SPORTS TEAMS
Mental note - I need to return to Board and Federal Streets for a photo of the Sixers mural. The Phillies mural is at 24th and Walnut and captures the great players from the teams two World Series runs in 1980 and 2008 and a few other all-time greats. Dickie Thon, Rick Shue, Pat Combs, Bruce Ruffin, Randy Ready, and others didn't make the cut.
The Eagles mural is on Spike's Trophy Shop way, way, way up in Northeast Philadelphia. Good move by Spike to bring some traffic to the store but kind of surprised there's not a more prominent mural in an easier to reach location. Maybe when the Eagles win a second Super Bowl they can get the Phillies treatment.
Mental note - I need to return to Board and Federal Streets for a photo of the Sixers mural. The Phillies mural is at 24th and Walnut and captures the great players from the teams two World Series runs in 1980 and 2008 and a few other all-time greats. Dickie Thon, Rick Shue, Pat Combs, Bruce Ruffin, Randy Ready, and others didn't make the cut.
The Eagles mural is on Spike's Trophy Shop way, way, way up in Northeast Philadelphia. Good move by Spike to bring some traffic to the store but kind of surprised there's not a more prominent mural in an easier to reach location. Maybe when the Eagles win a second Super Bowl they can get the Phillies treatment.
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There's two great "hidden" sports murals in Philadelphia. Wilt Chamberlain is unarguably the greatest Philadelphia athlete ever but all he gets is a small mural at a random location - 13th and Vine - and not even going with the flow of traffic on Vine. Their's mural to Jackie Robinson at 2803 N. Broad Street (just north of Lehigh St.) and if he's playing the Phillies, I'm going to go ahead and say he was safe sliding into home plate.
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THE MANAYUNKERS
Local neighborhood murals include Water Under the Bridge, at Fountain and Umbria Streets, and Concrete Tree, along the Manayunk Towpath. Maybe not the city's finest but they work.
Local neighborhood murals include Water Under the Bridge, at Fountain and Umbria Streets, and Concrete Tree, along the Manayunk Towpath. Maybe not the city's finest but they work.
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AND A FEW OTHERS...
Not a mural but the afro pick in the Mural Arts building is pretty cool. The Welcome to Philadelphia mural is on an oil refining tank on the way to Philadelphia International Airport.
Not a mural but the afro pick in the Mural Arts building is pretty cool. The Welcome to Philadelphia mural is on an oil refining tank on the way to Philadelphia International Airport.
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When is a mural not a mural but still a mural? When it's the Percy Street Project - a series of lights that blink in flourescent colors. Everybody goes to Pat's and/or Geno's and they miss this place which is literally around the corner. In a visit to this area you can combine one of the most touristy stops with one of the least touristy stops.
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