4-03-2023 4:45am

Mike's Top Picks: on Tour of the Mural Capital of the World--Philadelphia

Lesley Misko Editor

by Mike Strzelecki

Boyertown is blessed to be in close proximity to one of the world’s greatest art exhibits, and it is free to the public. Philadelphia is often referred to as the Mural Capital of the World. It is home to the largest collection of outdoor art and wall murals, 3,600 in all. The murals splash color and vibrancy and attitude and culture across the city streets and alleys. Consider this article an invitation to visit Philadelphia to explore its dynamic wall mural scene.

Just walking around the city without any plan will surely reveal lots of murals, but if you want a more structured tour, start with this website: https://www.muralarts.org/

Here is a link to self-guided tours of the downtown area. https://www.muralarts.org/self-guided/

A friend and I recently partook in an exhaustive and cheesesteak-filled mural tour of South Philly and the downtown area to assess the outdoor art scene. Over a 14-mile path, we encountered no less than 60 murals (and the best cannoli I have ever experienced).

Here are my 15 favorite wall murals from our urban trek:

This splashy and highly stoked mural, at the intersection of 5th and Kater Streets, just off South Street, pays homage to Roger Browne, who is considered to be one of the founders of the Philly skateboard scene. It is located on the side of Nocturnal, a skateshop, and was just completed in 2022.

Philadelphia Muses is one of the city’s most iconic wall murals. Located in the heart of downtown, on 13th and Locust Streets, it pays tribute to the city’s robust arts and culture scene by symbolizing all nine of the forms of creative expression (sound, visual arts, performance, movement, invention, craft, words, discovery, and human spirit). It was painted in 1999.

Philadelphia’s newest wall mural lords over Chinatown. The crane mural signifies blessings and a positive future for the Chinatown community. It adorns the Crane Building, which houses necessary services for Chinatown residents, like youth and adult programs, classes, and health services.

Water Gives Life, dripping with colors, celebrates the relationship between Philadelphia's rivers and the local flora and fauna. A close inspection reveals floral arrangements suspended above an aerial view of the city, revealing its water pipeline system. The mural is at 13th and Arch Streets and was painted in 2018, an updated version to a previous wall mural there.

Three Stooges fans will be quick to recognize the Larry Fine wall mural, at the intersection of 3rd and South Streets. This is located at the site where Larry of the Three Stooges grew up. The idea for this mural began as a running joke but it gained momentum and became reality in 2005.

I was unable to find any background information on this mural which I found along Passyunk Avenue, in South Philly, but I loved the pastoral feel of the mural in such a congested brick-and-block neighborhood. Lovely colors, you almost felt like the stream was emptying into the parking lot.

This is just a partial - and very colorful - section of an expansive wall mural titled Mapping Courage: Honor W.E.B. DuBois and Engine #11. It is painted on the side of a historical African-American firehouse and honors DuBois, the first African-American to get a doctorate from Harvard (and founder of the NAACP), who did a thorough survey of blacks living in this area. It was painted in 2008, and is at the corner of 6th and South Streets.

76ers; Beyond the Court is a Philly crowd-favorite wall mural. It highlights many of the city’s greatest basketball stars including Charles Barkley, Allen Iverson, Wilt Chamberlain, and Julius Irving (Dr. J). It pictures them not only on the court, but also offering services to the community. The mural was painted in 2017 and stands at the corner of Broad and Federal Streets, exactly halfway between City Hall and the arena where the 76ers play.

The Women of Progress mural, seen at 1307 Locust Street, depicts progress made in women’s rights. The masks worn by certain women on the mural symbolizes the hurdles and struggles encountered in the fight for equality. The mural graces the New Century Guild Building, an organization that was on the front lines of getting women fairly into workplaces. It was painted in 2001.

This splashy mural lights up South Philly at the intersection of 5th and Bainbridge Streets. Titled All At Once, it honors Philadelphia's black transexual women. It is located in the Queens Village community and was finished in 2022.

The Theater of Life mural is located in the heart of the city’s art district, at the corners of Lombard and Broad Streets. This complicated mural depicts the various roles we play in real life, beyond the stage. The painting was supplemented with 10,000 pieces of glass, 5,000 marbles, over a ton of concrete, and woven material. It dates to 2002 and is considered one of the city’s more iconic works of art.

This is one of my personal favorite Philly murals, but I could find no information on it. Clearly the theme is the struggle between war and peace, symbolized by a periscope and prayer beads. It appears that the men are peering into each other’s lives. It graces a parking lot off Passyunk Avenue, deep in South Philly.

Everyone who drives down Broad Street in South Philly sees this seminal wall mural. Titled South Philly Musicians Remix, it shows famous local musicians at a very young age, when they were passionately following their dreams. Look for Frankie Avalon and Chubby Checker and Jerry Blavat, amongst others. It’s situated at Broad and Tasker Streets and commands your view when walking anywhere in that area.

As a birder, I would be remiss not to add this lovely wall mural to my list of favorites: two chatty sparrows enjoying their urban existence on Passyunk Avenue, just south of South Street. Little information is offered on this particular mural but the color and realism are arresting when you pass by.

We stumbled upon this scenic wall mural along East Passyunk Avenue, near its intersection with Juniper Street, in the heart of South Philly. It sits in the garden of Le Virtu Italian restaurant (though can be seen from the road) and celebrates the culture of the Abruzzo region of southern Italy. The restaurant specializes in food from that region and made my to-try list for my next mural tour of Philadelphia.

[Mike Strzelecki is a 1981 graduate of Boyertown Area Senior High School and a freelance travel and outdoors writer. He writes from his home in Baltimore, Maryland. He is author of Baltimore With Children and Urban Hikes in and Around Baltimore. His work has also appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore's Child, Running Times, Trail Runner, Ultrarunning, and Pennsylvania. He recently retired after a career as an analyst in energy regulation, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, DC.]