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On the corner of 22nd and Walnut, there currently stands a Sunoco station. One of very few spots around Center City to refuel, and by far the most inspired! The property is also the home to my two favorite murals in the city. They’re extremely subtle and often go unnoticed, even by many of my fellow bike-riding West Philadelphians who pass them almost daily on their way to the Walnut Street Bridge.

Seventy years ago, on the same corner, stood St. James Episcopal Church, built in 1870. According to the plaque that commemorates the two murals, the church served as the catalyst for most of the townhouses that still occupy the surrounding neighborhood. It was also the last home of the big bell the currently occupies the entry hall of the Dietrich wing of the University of Pennsylvania Library. In 1945, the congregation sold the property, the church was demolished and the lot eventually fell into the hands of Sunoco, who commissioned the murals on the two adjoining houses. The east-facing piece gives the impression of windows, reflecting the vanished church, and the other, my favorite, is simply the shadow of the missing building and its towers.

Episcopal Murals
S 22nd St & Walnut St,
Philadelphia, PA 19103