Mixture of Old and New Proposed for Wissahickon Mural

With such a large canvas to play with, the ideas poured out of the dozens of residents that came out last week for the first public meeting for the Wissahickon train station mural project, according to Montgomery Media News.

The planned site for the mural is a 200-foot long wall at the SEPTA train station in Wissahickon, according to the Wissahickon Interested Citizens Association (WICA). The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program approved WICA’s application in November, and the wheels are now in motion to have it completed by September.

Residents had the opportunity last week to meet the mural’s artist, David Guinn, and representatives from the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. According to the report, Guinn offered guidance toward determining a design that would incorporate the neighborhood’s past, present and future.

The new mural will be painted at the train station on the platform wall between the tracks and Rochelle Avenue. According to WICA’s blog, the theme of the proposed mural will highlight the beauty of the neighborhood’s natural and developed environment, including historical elements of the community.

“We envision that this mural will also help our neighborhood restore and maintain its identity,” says the proposal to MAP. “In speaking with the neighbors, many of whom have lived here for years, there is strong sense of neighborhood pride, especially given our access to such beautiful green space in the city through our multiple entry points into the Wissahickon Park.”

The project will also include collaboration with Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School.

(Photo: Wissahickon Train Station/Courtesy WICA)