The Magic Gardens Studio

1002 Watkins Street, Philadelphia
Guided Tours: Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. and other select dates
Open for programs only; not open for daily admission

The interior of the Watkins Street Studio. It is a large room with high ceilings. The floor and walls are covered in tiled mosaics. In the center of the room are short walls created from objects such as bottles and plates. Chandeliers also created from found objects hang from the ceiling.

In 2007, Isaiah and Julia Zagar purchased a 2-story warehouse a mile south of the Magic Gardens Museum. The space was intended to house Isaiah’s artworks and serve as a new space for him to mosaic. At the age of 68, Isaiah began to transform the cavernous former auto repair shop with his signature mosaics. 

Over 14 years he covered both floors of the 10,000 square foot space, including the large elevator meant to hoist cars. On the ground floor Isaiah created walls out of Folk Art, handmade tiles, plates, bottles, and more. Upstairs he stored his artwork and supplies. The building is lit by 14 found object chandeliers by artist Warren Muller, a close friend of the Zagars.

The Zagars gifted the building to Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens in December 2023. The organization continues its creative legacy through tours, workshops, and other community programming. PMG’s Preservation Team still utilizes the space as a studio: creating tiles and other elements for mosaics, prepping materials, and making repairs to existing work. Resident artists draw inspiration from the space and PMG staff archive paintings, works on paper, and more from throughout Isaiah’s career.

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