PHILADELPHIA – The City of Philadelphia has stepped up once again to protect one of Philadelphia’s greatest artistic treasures, the hundred-year old glass mosaic Dream Garden mural in the lobby of the Curtis Center building on Washington Square. Alerted that vibrations caused by extensive renovations to the Curtis Center were endangering the priceless mural, the City Department of Licenses and Inspections issued an order last Friday halting all demolition and construction work inside the building. Work will remain suspended unless and until stronger and more effective protections for the mural are arranged.
Eighteen years ago this month, after Dream Garden was almost sold to casino magnate Steve Wynn — who had announced plans to have the mural pried from the Curtis Center wall and moved to Las Vegas — the Historic Commission acted to protect the mural permanently by designating it as a “historic object” under the Philadelphia historic preservation ordinance. The City fought off legal challenges to the designation for the next three years.
Finally, in 2001, a $3.5 million donation from Pew Charitable Trusts made it possible for the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts to purchase the mural. Dream Garden was turned over to PAFA with the understanding that it would remain in place at the Curtis Center.
In its attempt to keep the mural safe during the current renovations, PAFA had negotiated an agreement with contractors intended to keep vibrations to a minimum, installed sensitive equipment to monitor conditions, and inspected the mural on multiple occasions. On July 7, 2016, PAFA alerted the Historic Commission to its concerns and requested the City’s assistance.
“Dream Garden is a priceless artistic and historic treasure under the protection of PAFA and the Historic Commission for the people of Philadelphia,” said L&I Commissioner David Perri. “L&I will work with everyone involved to figure out the best resolution to the situation; resuming construction without keeping the mural safe is off the table.”
The 15 x 49 foot Dream Garden mural was designed by American artist Maxfield Parrish. It weighs approximately 4 tons and is comprised of hundreds of thousands of pieces of hand-made glass created specially for the mural under the supervision of Louis Comfort Tiffany. Installation of the mural in the lobby of the Curtis Center, completed in 1916, required a year and the efforts of thirty artisans. The Curtis Center is located at 601 Walnut Street.