South Philly Review

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“I want to save it because I think of it as my child,” David Guinn said Tuesday.

Over the last two weeks, the artist has teamed with about 1,500 new friends to preserve unobstructed views of “Autumn (Your House in the Forest),” a mural that has given Bella Vista an aesthetic lift for a decade. A single-family townhouse could block the creation, which overlooks an empty lot at 631 S. Ninth St. and has proven the most revered piece from Guinn’s Seasons series, if a developer’s plan wins the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s favor next week.

Guinn, a Spring Garden area resident, has built a successful career primarily through the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and has made South Philly the benefactor of his talent five times, but 631 S. Ninth St. LLC is attacking the existence of “Autumn” during the very time of year its colors convey.

Measuring 35 by 80 feet, the product followed the construction of 1998’s “Casa di Pazzo,” 1143 S. 12th St., and ’99’s “Winter: Crystal Snowscape,” 10th and Bainbridge streets. Painted directly on stucco, it features numerous trees, the titular home and a child holding a bird. Guinn planned the final element as an homage to the Zack family, whose matriarch, Elizabeth, desired a work to appear on her residence’s party wall.

“She was pregnant with her second child, so I drew her holding the bird to symbolize the impending arrival,” Guinn said.

Center City’s “Spring” preceded “Autumn” by a year, and, after spending six months on the latter, he devised “Summer: The Meeting” for Mario Lanza Park, 235 Queen St. Zack, Guinn and 50 Bella Vistans met Oct. 11 at Palumbo Recreation Center, 725 S. 10th St., to discuss the 631 S. Ninth St. LLC plan’s effect on parking, though mural discussions dominated the evening. Building the townhouse would replace nine private parking spots with two public street ones, but it also would eclipse the art.

The direct placement on stucco means its removal and reinstallation on another space are impossible. The assembly yielded a call to purchase the lot to thwart developer Jim McIlhenny’s ambition. The residents balked over the potential loss of Guinn’s handiwork, a consistent tourist attraction, and at the proposed townhouse’s dimensions.

“The design proposed at the Bella Vista zoning meeting was incongruent with other homes in the area and seemingly low budget in design, which is not surprising from an out-of-town developer who wants to make a quick buck,” Jen Tucker said in a Tuesday e-mail.

The resident of Eighth and Bainbridge streets has served as the leader in salvaging the mural’s unadulterated look, crafting a petition that continues to add signatures. State Rep. Babette Josephs and 1st District Councilman Frank DiCicco have pledged their support, and Tucker is hoping to meet with Mayor Michael Nutter.

“Some days the pace of life, especially in the city, can feel intense. This mural of autumn trees is transportive for me. I am instantly relaxed when I see it,” Tucker said.

McIlhenny made his August purchase for $120,000. Bella Vista Town Watch member Joel Palmer, also of Eighth and Bainbridge streets, and his allies raised $250,000 to secure the spot and brought their offer to Oct. 19’s Center City zoning board meeting, announcements of which still rest in the lot with the name of McIlhenny’s attorney, David Orphanides, atop them.

“Orphanides keeps changing his story. He never responded to the offer. He has said $600,000 is nonnegotiable,” Palmer said via e-mail, referring to published reports that have Orphanides saying that figure is apt given the investment cost and expected profit.

Zoning officials could not help much, as their jurisdiction cannot determine the mural’s future. Numerous bodies, including the Redevelopment Authority, which could seize the property by eminent domain, could intervene in and involve a court, Palmer said.

“We expect the City to step in,” he said, “as about 1,500 residents want one thing and a single, non-resident developer wants another.”

Guinn, who, along with the Mural Arts Program, owns the copyright to the image, attended both discussions and has familiarity with impinging developments. Construction wiped out an Old City creation in 2002, but this time he is seeking protection through the Visual Artists Rights Act, which affords creators, regardless of ownership, the right to prevent distortions, modifications or mutilations that would taint an artist’s honor or reputation.

Guinn revealed he has conversed with a lawyer to determine if the legislation can assist his cause and mentioned the document before the board. The body decided to refrain from issuing a ruling until Nov. 2.

“This has all happened so quickly,” he said. “I am confident and optimistic we will prevail.”

That tone does not betray his slight fear that he may have to find another Bella Vista wall on which to duplicate “Autumn.” With 30 murals to his name, Guinn has gained international renown, as Montreal art connoisseurs commissioned similar seasonal depictions two years ago, and a European book of global murals includes his prized piece. He has enjoyed a 13-year relationship with the Mural Arts Program, whose 17-stop Mural Mile tour features five of his offerings, with “Autumn” being the penultimate one.