Philadelphia is a city of row houses. That’s one of our claims to fame. We used to be an industrial city and row houses provided cheap shelter for the people who worked at places like the Baldwin Locomotive Works and the Stetson Hat Company. When a row house was torn down, however, a party wall was exposed that was pretty ugly. We also battle a graffiti problem.
The Philadelphia Mural Arts program began as a way to beautify the City and to combat graffiti. We now have beautiful murals in all parts of the City. They are a vibrant reflection of life and character of each neighborhood.
The pictures you see here are of two of my favorite murals. There are lots more. If you come to Philadelphia, you should ride around and take a look at them. For more information on the mural arts program, go to
http://www.muralarts.org/about/
Ornamento 
Amazing work! A full wall mural is very hard to do. You should join this muralist community, I did, and I can showcase all my mural work!
http://www.findamuralist.com/top_rated_muralist.php
Cheers!
There are several organized tours of the City’s murals that are really terrific. They help point out some of the amazing artwork that is off the beaten track in neighborhoods that might not be so accessible to the tourist. Jane Golden has been involved with the mural arts program in the City for years, and has lead an amazing effort to beautify the community. The murals truly are one of our City’s treasures!
The mural arts program does some amazing work. Perhaps a bit too focused on realism, though…