A Tribute to John Coltrane

Tribute to John Coltrane by artist John Lewis was located in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The mural pays tribute to African American jazz innovator John Coltrane. The jazz legend was a native Philadelphian who grew up in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood.

Lewis described the mural in an artist statement: “The image is a triple portrait: one central figure in full color, one makes up the sky, and another in muted grays. The three portraits represent the process of Coltrane’s music, from the production, practice aspects, to the larger scope that the music is finally, something everyon can hear.”

The dedication of the mural coincided with the dedication of The John Coltrane House as a national historic landmarks. Coltrane’s cousin, Mary Alexander, established the John Coltrane Cultural Society on 33rd Street and Girard Avenue. The mural dedication consisted of performances by several local jazz performers, including some of John’s contemporaries who had performed with him.

The mural was restored in 2010, but the building holding the mural was demolished in the summer of 2014. A new mural honoring Coltrane’s legacy was dedicated in 2017 at North 29th Street and West Diamond Avenue. That mural was obscured by adjacent construction and painted out in 2022.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (lost to demolition in 2014).