March 4, 2025 – The Architectural Committee of the Philadelphia Historical Commission met last week to discuss the proposed resolutions and motions concerning the city’s architecture surrounding the historical community. The first motion presented in the meeting was on 1631-38 Arch Street, historically known as the Bell Telephone Parkway building.
Proposed by the Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation, the motion was regarding a mural that the foundation plans to install on the East facade of the historic building. The wall faces the Horwitz-Wasserman Holocaust Memorial Plaza, constructed in 1964, and is the first public holocaust memorial in the United States. The Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation has been working since 2006 to both preserve the building and grow the Holocaust Memorial Plaza on 16th and Arch.
The Philadelphia Holocaust Remembrance Foundation brought in front of the Architectural Committee a proposition for a mural to be designed and subsequently ensconced onto the limestone on the side of the building. It would be the nation’s firsthand large-scale mural dedicated to the Holocaust. The foundation prides itself on its mission to educate and protect the stories of those who suffered during that time and continue to honor the lives lost. The foundation has put together a project to do just that and share it with the public.
Eszter Kutas, the executive director of PHRF, was present during the meeting and led the dialogue around the artistic creation. The foundation is asking the committee for its approval on the installation of said mural, which would be designed by an artist from Mural Arts Philly.
The installation would be fixed onto the building using a layer of acrylic primer to establish a foundation upon which the glue would be laid. The glue would then be applied on top of the primer, and the cloth fibers would be affixed to it. The cloth fibers are what the mural would be painted on as the material will hold the color and art the best, which was shared by Lindsey Rosenberg. The cloth fibers are planned to be fastened to the pre-existing slots on the side of the building. Rosenberg is the project manager working with the foundation to spearhead the project and was the main speaker at the meeting detailing the particularities going into the adhesion process.
The main concern presented by the panel was the sustainability of the mural adhesion. Because of the historic significance of the building, the material used to attach the cloth fibers, the acrylic glue, poses some issues in terms of the way it will impact the building. The glue and the primer could possibly be detrimental to the building, slowly eroding the stone underneath. Because of the nature of the acrylic, it would not allow for the glue to let air breathe, almost suffocating the wall and further causing damage to the limestone.
While Kutas shared that in the past six months, the East facade wall had been refurbished and was in “extraordinary condition right now,” this only seemed to emphasize the worry from the panel. With such a significant and historic building, ensuring its stability is imperative. It was brought up that the wall is in good condition presently because it is able to breathe and go through the natural process. Applying the acrylic adhesion would restrict that, trapping in water and slowly eroding the wall behind it.
The committee voted to deny the proposal based on the adhesion process but expressed they are open to the idea when an improved plan has been developed.
