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Keith Haring\u2019s famed 1987 mural We the Youth, the artist\u2019s only collaborative mural that still stands in its original location, is now an officially designated historical place. <\/p>\n
At a public meeting on Friday, the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted unanimously to add the Point Breeze<\/a> mural, on a rowhouse at 22nd and Ellsworth Streets, to the city\u2019s Register of Historic Places. <\/p>\n With this designation, the building\u2019s owner, listed as \u201c2147 Ellsworth LLC\u201d in city records<\/a>, will not be allowed to remove or alter the appearance of the mural without the Historic Commission\u2019s review.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the fifth mural in Philadelphia to be an officially designated and protected landmark, and only the first outdoor mural to do so. <\/p>\n The other designated murals are The Dream Garden inside the Curtis Center, the New Deal-era murals inside the Family Court building, the frescoed ceiling at Old City<\/a>\u2019s St. Augustine\u2019s Roman Catholic Church, and Iron Plantation Near Southwark inside the Southwark Station Post Office in South Philly.<\/p>\n \u201cTo finally see the community here stand for the recognition of this unique piece of collaborative work is particularly meaningful,\u201d Simon Castets, executive director of the Keith Haring Foundation, said after the decision, citing Haring\u2019s connection to Philadelphia and the foundation\u2019s mission to preserve the artist\u2019s local works. <\/p>\n Haring, a native of Reading, was one of the defining artists of the 20th century and known for his bold drawings and colorful graffiti-style paintings. He died in 1990, at age 31, due to AIDS-related complications.<\/p>\n In 1987, Haring and a group of 14 Philly and New York students collaborated on We the Youth to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. <\/p>\n The mural features vibrant figures dancing across the facade of a three-bedroom rowhouse. In 2013, Mural Arts<\/a> Philadelphia undertook a massive restoration of the mural, located on a shared wall at 2147 and 2149 Ellsworth Streets. <\/p>\n Friday\u2019s decision comes after months of advocacy from the Haring Foundation, Mural Arts, and the Neighborhood Gardens Trust, which collectively oversee the mural\u2019s upkeep. <\/p>\n The three parties have pushed for the mural\u2019s historical protection because of the mural\u2019s artistic and cultural significance to Point Breeze. <\/p>\n