October is Mural Arts Month in the “Mural Capital of the World.” USA Today and 10Best.com voted Philadelphia Best City for Street Art. The expert panel and readers recognize that street art “speaks to a city’s culture and personality.”
The condition of the Ridge on the Rise mural speaks volumes about the city’s split personality. As Philadelphia celebrates a century of John Coltrane, a tribute to Trane has become a symbol of civic neglect.
In August and September, I escorted busloads of visitors to the Ridge on the Rise mural. I was embarrassed as they posed for photos in front of the deteriorating cultural landmark.
On my bus tour, “Tracing Trane: John Coltrane’s North Philadelphia,” there were two international visitors, one from London and a distinguished visitor from Japan. Yasuhiro “Fuji” Fujioka is the co-author of “The John Coltrane Reference.” This is a photo of Fuji in front of the Ridge on the Rise mural.
Brian Earley was on the bus tour. He saw the condition of the mural and said something. In a letter to Mayor Cherelle Parker, Brian wrote:
On Sunday, September 27, I participated in a wonderfully conducted tour of North Philadelphia, a tour that examined the historical legacy of Philadelphia itself as the tour followed the footsteps of John Coltrane’s years living in Philadelphia.
[…]
More upsetting for me, however, is the condition of the mural on the south facing wall of 2125 Ridge Avenue. This wall overlooks a vacant lot where once stood the famous Pearl Theater. This theater famously hosted many figures of important international significance. John Coltrane performed there, as did Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Pearl Bailey herself was discovered here.
This mural, which prominently features Cecil B. Moore, Pearl Bailey, and John Coltrane is crumbling. The bottom half of John Coltrane’s body has already fallen and is lying in pieces on the grass below.
What is problematic for me is that members of the tour included current influential figures, including famous jazz writer Yasuhiro Fujioka, who had traveled all the way from Japan to visit this and other important sites in Philadelphia. I regret to say this moment was a little embarrassing for me and for the city of Philadelphia. At one of Philadelphia’s finest hours, one of the greatest celebrations a city could hold for an artist of musical import, I had to see people who traveled from far away to see John Coltrane’s Philadelphia in a state of disrepair. What they witnessed was mostly warmth, beauty, and tremendous respect for John Coltrane and for Philadelphia’s history. But 2125 Ridge Avenue and its important mural told a conflicting story: one of neglect and disinterest.
Your voice matters. If you, too, believe that John Coltrane deserves better, contact the responsible officials. Tell them to take immediate action to assess and restore the mural.
📩 Contact:
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker
City Hall, Office 215
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 686-2181
Contact the Mayor Online Form
Mural Arts Philadelphia
1727-29 Mt. Vernon Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 685-0750
info@muralarts.org
Report a Mural in Need of Maintenance
Councilmember Jeffery Young, Jr.
City Hall, Room 586
Philadelphia, PA 19107
jeffery.young@phila.gov
(215) 686-3442, (215) 686-3443
Report an Issue Online Form
The Ridge on the Rise mural must be restored before winter weather finishes what civic neglect started.
