Philadelphia Public Art @philart.net

Tour: Avenue of Technology

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This tour runs East on Market from 40th to the middle of the Market Street Bridge, with one detour North through the Drexel campus between 34th and 33rd. You could do it the other way around, but East is down hill all the way. There's a blue-line stop right at the corner of 40th and Market, which makes it easy to reach from Center City. From the Southwest corner of 40th and Market we go

Nexus
Scott Eunson, Marianne Lovink, 2016
* abstract maps
* Entrances. 40th Street L Station. All four corners, 40th and Market.
* 39.957060,-75.201725 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Mass Transit
* See also:
+whyy.org article about this piece
+scotteunson.ca's page for this piece
+scotteunson.ca
+mariannelovink.com



Grow Old Along With Me. The Best is Yet to Be
Charles Parks, 1996 (original installed in Newark)
* group of people standing, fountain
* The much smaller original was commissioned for the Newark Senior Center.
* Plaza. North side of Market, between 39th and 40th.
* 39.957325,-75.200700 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Black Lives
* See also:
+bluetoad.com article describing the original
+moroccoworldnews.com picture of the original
+ wikipedia.org's Charles Parks page



Robert Porter Memorial Plaque
2007
* In memory of Robert Porter
* police badge with number
* inscription:
In Memory of
Police Officer Robert "Petey" Porter
Died in the line of duty protecting the citizens of Philadelphia on
January 19, 1996
 * Sidewalk. African Methodist Episcopal Church, First District Plaza. North side of Market, West of 38th.
* 39.956877,-75.198700 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Police and Fire Fighters, New, Black Lives
* See also:
+odmp.org's Robert Porter page



Striving
Charles Searles, 1995
* abstract form
* African Methodist Episcopal Church, First District Plaza. West of the Northwest corner, 38th and Market.
* 39.956890,-75.198600 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Religious, Black Lives
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Charles Searles page



Orders of Nature
Soo Sunny Park, 2014
* big abstract form
* visible through the highly reflective glass
* Interior. Northeast corner, 38th and Market.
* 39.956790,-75.197675 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+soosunnypark.com



LAWN
2019
* word sign
* Southeast corner of the Lawn at uCity Square. Northwest corner, 37th and Filbert.
* 39.957310,-75.195685 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: New, Unidentified



Spectral Grove
Softlab, 2019
* abstract tree-like forms
* Northwest corner, 37th and Market.
* 39.956560,-75.195915 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+soft-lab.com



Dream of Sky
Timothy Duffield, 1976
* big abstract elephant
* South side of Market at the 37th Street Walkway.
* 39.956265,-75.196200 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Favorites
* See also:
+inquirer.com obituary for Timothy Duffield



Untitled
James Lloyd, 1974
* abstract snake
* Originally in the middle of the sidewalk. Moved closer to the building late 2005 or early 2006. The last picture is from the original location.
* South side of Market, West of 36th.
* 39.956210,-75.195550 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Moved
* See also:
+sculpturelightsource.com



Refractive Light Spine
James Carpenter, 1988 - 1989
* big collection of triangles
* Over the entrance. Southwest corner, 36th and Market.
* 39.956050,-75.194800 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+jcdainc.com



Light Matrix
Leo Villareal, 2015
* abstract light display
* Awning. North side of Market, West of 36th.
* 39.956350,-75.194700 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+villareal.net



Glyph of Nature
Jeffrey Maron, 1986
* abstract symbols
* On the wall. Southeast corner 36th and Market.
* 39.956010,-75.194000 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+jeffreymaron.com



Face Fragment
Arlene Love, 1976
* big face fragment
* In front of the Monell Chemical Senses Center. South side of Market between 34th and 36th (35th Street doesn't intersect Market).
* 39.955900,-75.193150 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+Arlene Love interview on vimeo.com



Untitled
Lark Lucas, 1982
* people standing, sitting, hats, umbrellas, food, musical instruments, machines and tools, balloons, airplanes, signs, buildings, plants, birds, elephant, giraffe, camel
* visible through the fence
* Walls. North side of Filbert, West of 34th.
* 39.956900,-75.192250 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+publicartarchive.org's Lark Lucas page



Drexel Book
Harold Kimmelman, 1985 - 1986 (plaque says 85, article says 86)
* In memory of Doris Zimmerman
* small book
* Also listed as Book and Volume 1. Drexel Book is the title on the author's web site.
* inscription:
From the plaque at the garden entrance:
Garden Sculpture in memory of Doris A. Zimmerman, 1929-1981
* Walled garden. Drexel University. Northwest of 33rd and Market. Enter on the South side near 33rd. Also visible through the fence on the West side.
* 39.956805,-75.189875 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+hksculpt.com



Running Free
Henry Mitchell, 1971
* horses
* Between 2009 and 2011, as part of the relandscaping that accompanied the construction of the building that is now to the South of this piece, the base was altered and moved and the piece was rotated on the base. The first three pictures were taken prior to the change.
* On the campus of Drexel University. Northwest of 33rd and Market.
* 39.956450,-75.190025 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Moved
* See also:
+cantonartcollection.com's Henry Mitchell bio



Double Figure Eight
Paul Sisko, 1993
* abstract form
* Originally in a park on the South side of Market just East of 32nd. Moved sometime between 2000 and 2004 when the park was replaced with a building. The first picture is from the original location.
* On the campus of Drexel University. East side of 33rd, North of Market.
* 39.956250,-75.189200 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Moved
* See also:
+paulsisko.com



Momentum
Michael Speller, 2012
* small abstract armless person
* On the campus of Drexel University. Northwest corner, 33rd and Market.
* 39.955950,-75.189600 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Athletic
* See also:
+spellersculptures.com



Two Open Triangles Leaning Gyratory
George Rickey, 1982
* triangles
* Moves in the wind. Also listed as "Two Triangles Leaning"
* On the Library roof. Drexel University. Southwest corner, 33rd and Market.
* 39.955450,-75.189725 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's George Rickey page



Mario the Magnificent
Eric Berg, 2002
* In honor of Mario V. Mascioli
* dragon logo
* Based on the Drexel University logo.
* inscription: In honor of Mario V. Mascioli, '45, an exemplary alumnus
 * On the campus of Drexel University. Southeast corner, 33rd and Market.
* 39.955400,-75.189325 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+bergbronze.com's page for this piece
+bergbronze.com



Anthony J. Drexel
Moses Jacob Ezekiel, 1904
* Statue of Anthony J. Drexel
* seated person, chair, pail, books and papers
* Originally just East of 33rd. Moved Summer, 2001 to 32nd Street. In 2011 the building it was next to was torn down and the statue was moved closer to Market, rotated, and enclosed in a large box. The box was removed some time in 2013. The last two pictures are from the first and second locations.
* On the campus of Drexel University. South side of Market, East of 32nd.
* 39.955100,-75.187525 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Moved
* See also:
+phillyhistory.org 1959 picture of this piece
+jewishvirtuallibrary.org's Moses Jacob Ezekiel page
+wikipedia.org's Anthony J. Drexel page



Drexel Clock
* clock
* Courtyard. Drexel University. South side of Market between 31st and 32nd.
* 39.954700,-75.186100 [map] [nearby]



Amtrak Logo
2013
* logo
* inscription: 30th Street Station 1933
 * Plaza. West side of 30th Street Station. East side of 30th at JFK.
* 39.955860,-75.182950 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: New, Mass Transit



William H. Gray III 30th Street Station Sign
Calori and Vanden-Eynden Design, 2015
* station renamed for William H. Gray III
* big name, sign
* There is another, less dramatic version on the 29th Street side. The station was renamed in 2019 and the back panel was added to both signs. The first picture is the original.
* Southwest corner, 30th Street Station. Northeast corner, 30th and Market.
* 39.955070,-75.18297 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Mass Transit
* See also:
+cvedesign.com (also somehow linked to entro.com)
+wikipedia.org's William H. Gray III page



The Porch Swings
Bill Curran Design, Gehl Studio, 2015
* big swings
* The Porch. South side, 30th Street Station. North side of Market between 29th and 30th.
* 39.954850,-75.182050 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+billcurrandesign.com
+gehlpeople.com



The Porch Fence
Groundswell Design Group, 2015
* trees
* Fence. The Porch. South side, 30th Street Station. Along the North side of Market, East of 30th.
* 39.954777,-75.182130 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+groundswelldesigngroup.com



Spirit of Transportation
Karl Bitter, 1895
* big group of people, mostly standing, some sitting, horses, sheep, oxen, wagon and carriage, basket of fruit, model train, model boat, model airship
* inscription:
This panel, the conception and work of Karl Bitter, sculptor, was executed in 1895 and placed in the waiting room of Broad Street Station Philadelphia from which place it was removed to this site in January, 1933. The spirit of transportation is represented in triumphant procession of progress led by a little child carrying a model of an airship, a prophetic vision of a mode of transportation to come.
 * North Waiting Room. 30th Street Station. Northeast corner, 30th and Market.
* 39.956140,-75.182025 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Mass Transit
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Karl Bitter page



Pennsylvania Railroad Memorial Plaques
* Memorials to William Wallace Atterbury, George Gibbs and John Edgar Thomson
* small heads, trains
* inscription:
1866-1935
William Wallace Atterbury
Tenth President of The Pennsylvania Railroad
Director General of Transportation of American Expeditionary Forces - World War I.
Friend of Labor - Pioneer in collective bargaining
Servant of the American people in war and peace
With courage and foresight he introduced electrification in to the railroad's system
1861 - 1940
George Gibbs
Consulting Engineer
Whose vision and tenacity of purpose led to the development of the
Pennsylvania Railroad's articulated electric locomotive class GG1
placed in operation 1934
and contributed so much to the advancement of the art of electric railroad transportation
1808 - 1874
J. Edgar Thomson
Father of the Pennsylvania Railroad
First Chief Engineer - Third President
He planned the railroad's present system
He left his fortune in trust for the education and maintenance of female orphans of railway employees whose fathers may have been killed in the discharge of their duties
 * North Waiting Room. 30th Street Station. Northeast corner, 30th and Market.
* 39.956205,-75.181755 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Mass Transit
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's William Wallace Atterbury page
+wikipedia.org's John Edgar Thomson page



Tools of the Trade
Virginia Maksymowicz, 2022 (installed)
* tools, map
* inscription:
Tools of the trade is meant to make visible the often invisible role that railroad workers play in building and maintaining Amtrak's infrastructure.
Artist Virginia Maksymowicz commuted on the Amktrak Keystone Service for over 25 years, between her home in Philadelphia and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she taught as a professor of sculpture at Franklin and Marshall College. Maksymowicz credits her time on the train for producing some of her best thinking, including designing, researching, and planning many of her artworks.
At the time Tools of the Trade was created, the artist was working on a series of sculptures involving plaster casts of tools and bones, matephorically relating them to various structures. It occurred to her that Amtrak's national route system is another kind of structure, one that connects north and south, east and west, much like a bodily skeleton connects heat to toe and hand to hand.
Maksymowicz wanted to represent this structure through casts of the type of tools that Amtrak workers might use on the job. She collected vintage tools, railroad spikes and clips; she made silicon molds from them and cast them into lightweight plastic. Casts of spikes and bolts suggest mountains, and S-curved wrenches, calipers and railroad clips signify water.
 * North Waiting Room. 30th Street Station. Northeast corner, 30th and Market.
* 39.956030,-75.181675 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: New
* See also:
+maks-arts.com



Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial
Walker Hancock, 1952
* big vertical people (one winged)
* prominently displayed in the movie Witness
* inscription:
front:
In memory of the men and women of the Pennsylvania Railroad who laid down their lives for our country 1941-1945.
back:
That all travelers here may remember those of the Pennsylvania Railroad who did not return from the Second World War.
 * East end of the main lobby. 30th Street Station. Northeast corner, 30th and Market.
* 39.955655,-75.181400 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Religious, War, Mass Transit
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Walker Hancock page



Clock
2009
* clock
* East side of 30th Street Station. West side of 29th at JFK.
* 39.955600,-75.180950 [map] [nearby]
* Exhibits: Mass Transit



JFK Boulevard Bridge Sidewalk
2009
* big abstract sidewalk design
* Sidewalk. JFK Boulevard Bridge. JFK Boulevard, East of 29th.
* 39.955450,-75.180700 [map] [nearby]



Eagle
Rankin and Kellog (Architects), 1933
* abstract eagle
* Over the entrance. Post Office Main Branch Building. Southwest corner, 29th and Market.
* 39.954390,-75.181950 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+philadelphiabuildings.org's Rankin and Kellog page



Eagles
Adolph Alexander Weinman, 1903
* eagles
* Four identical eagles, originally from Pennsylvania Station in New York City.
* Bridge columns. Four corners of the Market Street Bridge. East of 29th and West of 24th on Market.
* 39.954400,-75.181090 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+wikipedia.org's Adolph Alexander Weinman page



Market Bridge Lights
GVA Lighting, 2013 (replaced 1999 installation)
* LED lights
* Visible after dark
* Bridge arches. Underneath the Market Street Bridge. Market Street, East of 29th to West of 24th.
* 39.954665,-75.180600 [map] [nearby]
* See also:
+schuylkillbanks.org bridge lighting project article
+gvalighting.com's page for this project
+gvalighting.com



Market Street Bridge Carvings
Charles H. Stevens (Design Engineer), 1932
* small lion heads, human heads, stylized bridges
* The lion heads are on the corners of the bridge. The faces are best observed from South and North of the bridge on Schuylkill Avenue/29th or from Schuylkill Banks below the bridge.
* Bridge columns and arches. Market Street Bridge. Market Street, East of 29th to West of 24th.
* 39.954625,-75.180350 [map] [nearby]



Schuylkill Permanent Bridge
1932
* small bridge
* inscription:
Schuylkill Permanent Bridge
Opened to traffic January 1, 1805
Altered and remodeled 1850
Destroyed by fire, November 20, 1875
Replaced the same year by
a temporary wooden bridge
Iron cantilever bridge built and completed
April 20, 1888. Replaced by this structure
1932
 * Bridge column. Middle of the South side of the Market Street Bridge. Market, East of 29th.
* 39.954350,-75.180430 [map] [nearby]


Possible trip extension:Art Museum Grounds (across the South side of the Market Street Bridge to the ramp, down to the Schuylkill banks, North to the Art Museum, around the front of the Museum to 25th and Kelly Drive)
Possible trip extension:Chestnut 29th to 40th (West across Schuykill/29th, South across Chestnut)
Possible trip extension:Germantown Avenue (SEPTA's Chestnut Hill West train from 30th Street Station and then the 97 to Woodmere)
Possible trip extension:Rittenhouse Square (down from the East side of the Market Street Bridge to the Schuylkill Banks, then South past Chestnut)

See Also

+University City District
+University City Science Center
+wikipedia.org's 30th Street Station page
+wikipedia.org's 40th Street Station page
+drexel.edu
+wikipedia.org's John F. Kennedy Boulevard Bridge page
+ucitysquare.com's Lawn page/
+wikipedia.org's Market Street Bridge page
+monell.org
+wikipedia.org's U.S. Post Office Main Branch Building page