Philadelphia owners responsible for Plum Street sidewalk art

The repair of a crumbling piece of Downtown sidewalk art is the responsibility of the building owner and not the City.

In March, Councilmember Roxanne Qualls presented a motion proposing that the City should repair the ceramic tile mosaic "In This Together", which was installed on Plum Street in 1988 as part of the City's bicentennial.

The ceramic medallion, created by the late January Marx Knoop, was installed across the street from the former Art Bank gallery that Knoop and other artists operated at the time.

The work depicts the Earth and ten creatures that are connected, but independent.

Qualls recommended funding the repair from the City's Small Capital Arts Fund, arguing that the City needed to take responsibility for certain works of art until a public art program could be put in place.

"There are many pieces of art owned by the City where department responsibility is clear," Qualls wrote in a statement accompanying the motion. "Some pieces, such as the mosaic at Fourth and Plum, for which no department claims responsibility, are quickly failing."

In a report to council, Dohoney says that what some have termed a "gift" has been interpreted loosely.

"There is no ordinance documenting transfer of ownership of the artwork to the City, nor did the City Planning Commission take any action regarding the placement of the artwork," Dohoney wrote.

Dohoney says that in 1987, the Crownshield Corporation, former owner of the abutting property, applied for a revocable street privilege to install the artwork.

That privilege was granted in 1988, making maintenance of the artwork the responsibility of Crownshield and any subsequent owners.

Philadelphia-based RAIT Old Town, LLC currently owns the buildings on both sides of Plum Street between McFarland and Fourth streets (BIRD'S EYE).

Both the Department of Transportation and Engineering and the Department of Community Development are working with RAIT Old Town, LLC to find a qualified professional to repair the artwork.

Jerome Strauss, a downtown resident and a fan of local history and architecture, has been faithfully saving the broken tiles.

Photo credit: Sara Pearce, Art