The Flying Horse Center in Germantown is best known for its industrial reuse story. In 2010, the
Community Design Collaborative chose the 85-year-old parking garage, which had been transformed into a multi-use community center, as a model of adaptive reuse in its
Retooling Industrial Sites exhibit.
With most of the 55,000-square-foot facility leased and the final phase of office flex space being built, owner Stan Smith is once again using the hulking structure as a leading example of how to combat some of Philly’s chronic urban woes. This time he’s taking on another form of neighborhood blight: graffiti. In a page out of
Jane Golden’s playbook, he’s allowing local artists to use portions of the Flying Horse Center’s facade as a showcase for street art.
"The building gets so much exposure because of its central location right next to the train stop," explains Smith. "The graffiti that plagued the building was sending the wrong message. It made me mad."
The building directly abuts the Chestnut Hill West regional rail line and features a large, highly visible brick wall along the tracks. For years that stretch of the façade got the brunt of the tagging. "It was ruining the beautiful brick," says Smith.
But the brick wall also featured large portions of cinderblock that covered up windows from another era. Smith decided that those parts of the wall could be used to show off graffiti in a way that didn’t detract from the building, putting the graffiti artists' work to good use.
"I want to give respect to Germantown as well as the message behind the graffiti movement," says Smith. "I support graffiti as an art form. We can survive together, it just needs to be responsible."
Smith worked with Nelson Glendinning and his father Andrew from Germantown Academy, allowing Nelson to showcase his work on the cinderblocks.
Nelson took full advantage of the opportunity, producing interesting artwork that enhances the building, pays respect to its history and acts as a gateway to Chelten Avenue and Germantown.
But work remains. "We still have a lot of cinderblocks to do and an even bigger message to get out there," says Smith. "Nelson’s one man. He can’t do it all."
Smith has received a tremendous amount of interest from other local artists to help finish the project. So far no one has officially signed on, but Smith believes that Nelson’s compelling work will help sell others on the idea.
Source: Stan Smith, Flying Horse Center
Writer:
Greg Meckstroth