Commissioned by the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program  • charcoal, acrylic, and polytab, 2019

Throughout the century following the United States Civil War, Philadelphia was known as the “Workshop of the World.” The city was a manufacturing powerhouse, with thousands of small and large-scale facilities populating a wide range of industry—a reflection of Philadelphia’s entrepreneurial spirit. During this heyday, a complex and self-sustaining ecosystem emerged, supported by a vast network of working relationships within and across trades. This depth and diversity of production sustained the health and longevity of Philadelphia’s industrial base, far surpassing many other North American cities.

Regardless of its early strength, Philadelphia’s manufacturing economy experienced an inexorable decline during the second half of the 20th century. Left behind were the enormous and often magnificent physical remnants of that disappearing city. As the city has redefined itself in recent decades, many of these historic structures, including mills and factories, have been repurposed for adaptive and imaginative reuse. A few have survived outright, having successfully adjusted with the times. Many others stand underutilized or forgotten, subject to scrappers, squatters, and nature’s decay.

This mural depicts Baldwin Locomotive Works whose factories and allied industries supporting locomotive industries sprawled 32 acres in this section of Philadelphia. The locomotive pictured is located @franklininstitute The rail turns to trail pointing both to the deeper past of the territory inhabited by the Lenni Lenape, and also to the future with a return to nature as @therailpark proposed future development passes in front of this mural.

Click here read further about the history of the neighborhood.