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Covering an indoor and outdoor space equivalent to half a city block, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens glistens with creativity and a hint of madness.
Isaiah Zagar, a local artist who began tiling South Street in the 1960s and never stopped, constructed the space out of cement, bicycle spokes, bottles, ceramic shards and other artistic knick-knacks.
The tiled passages of the Magic Gardens weave over- and underground — and, perhaps more than anything, through the mind of a dedicated and inspired artist.
In the 1960s, a group of artists and entrepreneurs began renting derelict storefronts and recreating the South Street neighborhood. At the forefront of that movement was Isaiah Zagar.
Zagar's mosaic wonderland is constructed from bicycle spokes, bottles and other knick-knacks.
In its early years, the Magic Gardens faced an uncertain future. Zagar began building the labyrinthine sculpture on land he didn’t own and, in 2004, the absentee landlord put it up for sale.
After a public outcry that resulted in an outpouring of community support and donations, the nonprofit organization Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens was formed to purchase and maintain the grounds.
Today, the Magic Gardens complex is the gateway to both a moment in Philadelphia’s history — the South Street Renaissance — and the work of an artist whose odyssey continues to be living, working and playing on Philadelphia’s South Street.
— Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia
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