Imagining Frankford: History
Initiated by Philadelphia City Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez, Imagining Frankford was a collaborative project between the Frankford community and the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. It consists of four murals along the Frankford Avenue corridor. Since its origins as a trail forged by William Penn, from present-day Center City, Philadelphia to New York City, Frankford Avenue is a valuable part of the city’s past, present, and future. Mural Arts, along with muralist Cesar Viveros, reflected on the history of this important thoroughfare and its surrounding neighborhood, concurrent with the area’s revitalization happening in 2011-2013.
Through a number of community gatherings and public creative planning meetings, Mural Arts staff and Frankford residents explored the diverse places, events, and people that make up the community’s identity. “Frankford lives on the streets” was a key idea brought to the fore by these meetings, expressing the memories and hopes that the community has to re-establish Frankford Avenue as a place where people can work, live, shop, and gather in a safe and united atmosphere.
To further connect with neighbors, Mural Arts organized additional community engagement opportunities with the artist and his team to collect stories of individual residents about their hopes for Frankford. These recorded sessions (available on YouTube) provided inspiration for the murals, were shared with participants, and were used to further communicate the ideas championed by the mural project.
During his time in the neighborhood, Viveros identified four main themes addressed in the murals: History (pictured here), Pride, Potential, and Community. The first three murals were installed in the fall of 2012, followed by another series of community meetings and paint days into the winter for the fourth and final mural, which was installed in fall 2013.