Between 2018 to 2023, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens and other community members advocated to save Isaiah Zagar’s 7,000 square foot public mosaic at the Painted Bride site (230 Vine Street) when it was put up for sale by its previous owner. Due to the many ups and downs of this story, we have compiled resources and articles here for archival purposes and for easy public access. It will be updated with information as we receive it.
In January 2021, the Atrium Design Group submitted a proposal to the Philadelphia Zoning Board to build a 7 story apartment building that would have preserved the mural in its entirety. We fully supported Atrium Design on this project and they purchased the building in April 2022. The design was unanimously approved but was later appealed by a handful of neighbors, including the owner of Chocolate Works Building next door. That appeal was awarded in June 2022 by a judge, who reversed the approval of the design and the plan to protect the mural. Atrium then submitted a new design that would result in a full demolition of the current structure and mosaic. Feasibility studies to move large sections of the mosaic intact were conducted and proved to be impossible.
In October of 2023 Atrium told PMG the building would be imminently demolished and approved PMG’s request to try to salvage significant tiles. From mid-October to November 2023 the Preservation Team removed as much as they could from the facade. The mosaic was well-adhered to the brick and this was a difficult process physically and emotionally- they were able to remove approximately 30% of the tiles for reuse in new mosaics. We have had no correspondence with the developer since this time and we have no current plans to work together in the future.
In early 2025 we hosted “Lost Landscapes: The “Skin of the Bride” mural by Isaiah Zagar,” an exhibition that detailed our 5-year fight to save this mural and showcased some of the salvaged tiles and new mosaics.
Resources:
Watch “The Painted Bride Mural Remembered”
Watch “The Loss of the Painted Bride Mural”
Read a brief timeline of the Fight to Save the Painted Bride Mural
Watch our Community Talk on “The Skin of the Bride”
Take a Self-Guided Tour of the Painted Bride Mural
Articles/ News:
- Shara Dae Howard, “Painted Bride in Old City scheduled for demolition in October, after years of legal battles,” KYW Newsradio (9.30.25)
- Michaelle Bond, “Former Painted Bride building will be demolished to make way for apartments,” Philadelphia Inquirer (9.25.25)
- Isabella Segalovich, “Iconic “Painted Bride” Mosaic Mural in Philly Faces Demolition,” Hyperallergic (10.26.23)
- KYW News Radio, The Jawncast, “Mural City – When art clashes with development” (10.19.23)
- Earl Hopkins, “After years of efforts to save it, Isaiah Zagar’s ‘Skin of the Bride’ mural is being taken down for good,” Philadelphia Inquirer (10.19.23)
- Peter Crimmins, “Isaiah Zagar’s iconic Painted Bride mosaic in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood is coming down,” WHYY (10.17.23)
- Jon Hurdle, “A Swirling Philadelphia Mosaic Will Be Sacrificed for Housing,” The New York Times (10.11.23)
- Earl Hopkins, “There is very little time to salvage pieces of Isaiah Zagar’s Painted Bride mural,” Philadelphia Inquirer (9.23.23)
- Zoe Greenburg, “Tour “the most eccentric, colorful wall mural on Planet Earth” before it is destroyed,” Philadelphia Inquirer (8.15.23)
- Michaelle Bond, “Pieces of the Painted Bride mural could be incorporated into a plan to build short-term rentals in Old City,” Philadelphia Inquirer (7.24.23)
- Michaelle Bond, “New plans for a short-term rental building would demolish the Painted Bride’s signature mosaic mural in Old City” (2.14.23)
- Michaelle Bond, “A Philly judge reversed a zoning board decision to allow apartments atop the Painted Bride mosaic” Philadelphia Inquirer (6.22.22)
- Michaelle Bond, “The Painted Bride Art Center has sold with its signature mosaic intact” Philadelphia Inquirer (4.6.22)
- Michaelle Bond, “Painted Bride mosaics saved with Philly’s approval of new apartment building” Philadelphia Inquirer (8.25.21)
- Ryan Briggs, “Painted Bride development wins zoning approval that could save Zagar mural” WHYY (8.25.21)
- View Atrium Design Group’s proposal for the Painted Bride Building
- Michaelle Bond, “Fate of the Painted Bride’s mosaic remains uncertain as developer pursues zoning exceptions,” Philadelphia Inquirer (6.23.21)
- Hilary Jay, “NIMBYS, Zoning, and Much Ado about the Painted Bride Mural,” Hidden City (4.20.21)
- Video Presentation: Zagar’s Mosaics: Painted Bride, Preservation and Adaptive Reuse (3.21)
- Inga Saffron, “This Developer has a plan to save the Painted Bride Mosaic. The neighborhood wants to stop him” Philadelphia Inquirer (1.15.21)
- Stephan Salisbury, “Potential Sale of Painted Bride Building Back in Court,” Philadelphia Inquirer (9.17.20)
- Jake Blumgart, ” Judge: Old City’s Painted Bride can’t be sold for condos” WHYY (9.26.19)
- Anna Merriman, “Condo development planned for site of iconic Painted Bride building” Curbed Philly (9.9.19)
- Jake Blumgart, “16 Condos could replace Painted Bride, Philadelphia’s oldest alternative art space” WHYY (9.4.19)
- Anna Merriman, “Iconic Painted Bride building fails to secure historic designation” Curbed Philly (9.14.18)
- Jimmy Clark, “Opinion: Painted Bride board’s plan to sell building is ‘organizational suicide'” Philadelphia Inquirer (6.25.18)
- Stephan Salisbury, “Painted Bride and its Zagar murals deserve historic designation, panel finds” Philadelphia Inquirer (6.20.18)
- View the nomination form for the Painted Bride Building for the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, Philadelphia Historical Commission (2018)
Gallery:
Photographs by Sarah R. Bloom (2023)
