Philadelphia

Philadelphia native-born artist Steve Powers created Philadelphia in the city’s Old City neighborhood (with the mural extended onto an adjacent wall in 2018). There are tons of great Philly references woven into this piece, encompassing everything from art to food to music. Philadelphia became an instant classic on an iconic commercial corridor.
Some local references include:
1. Philly’s got Art
World renowned modern artist Alexander Calder was a Philadelphia local. His pieces are on display in private and public collections all around the city, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Olde City mural highlights the modern art movement by placing Calder’s work front and center, paying homage to the original piece Red Mobile from 1956 with bold red shapes.

2. Philly’s got GOLD(EN)
Mural Arts Philadelphia’s executive director Jane Golden was honored to see a family reference in the center of the mural – look above “CITY” and see if you can spot it!

3. Philly’s got History
Ben Franklin appears quite a few times throughout the mural’s imagery. From a Ben Franklin cartoon to Poor Richard to Silence Dogood to a lightning-struck-key to that famous bridge, the Ben references abound.

4. Philly’s got Food
As many locals know, Philadelphia’s culinary scene has a mouthwatering array of specialties. Philly foods scattered throughout the mural include Lorenzo’s Pizza, Herr’s Potato Chips, Philadelphia Soft Pretzels, and of course the infamous Philadelphia Cheesesteak.

5. Philly’s got Talent
Talented sibling duo Zoe Strauss and Cosmo Baker have made a name for themselves in the Philadelphia art scene, and both make an appearance in this mural, alongside references to David Bowie, John Coltrane, King Britt, Teddy Pendergrass, Hall and Oates (check out the image of a Quaker Oat can with an Oates moustache), and a few more Philly favorites.
Bonus find: What is it?
The design also incorporated some special requests from passersby. One item that made it onto the mural is a Toynbee Tile. The mysterious tiles are found embedded in asphalt crosswalks, and bear a bizarre message about resurrecting the dead on Jupiter. Invented by an anonymous Philly artist, more than 600 tiles have appeared in 15 states and 4 countries since the mid -1980’s. Mural Arts photographer and Toynbee Tile fan Steve Weinik made the request, and Powers generously added one to the final mural.
Powers has contributed some memorable imagery to Philadelphia and New York’s graffiti scenes. Powers’ work is there along the Market-Frankford Line in A Love Letter for You, on the walls around Ralph Brooks Park in Southwest Philly, in Fishtown on Front Street and inside La Colombe, and in many more signs and designs throughout the city.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (covered by adjacent construction ca. 2022). Parts of the mural were destroyed and other parts were preserved, but those are not visible to the public.