When Mural Arts Philadelphia announced it would retire “Sounds of Philadelphia”, its crumbling homage to South Philadelphia’s mid-century music legends at 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue, the opposition was….well, spirited.
The painted clock is running down for Peter Pagast’s beloved 2005 mural honoring Fabian Forte, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Chubby Checker, Jerry Blavat, Al Martino and Eddie Fisher.
The building behind it had deteriorated, and developers planned a four-story structure in front of it.
The cost of re-creating it elsewhere was prohibitive, and there were hundreds of other mural projects already in line.
Unexpected Philadelphia 