Oh hey, did you hear the Eagles won the Super Bowl?
Other cities can make fun of Philly’s obsession with this all they want, but they’re either just sore losers or people who don’t understand real fandom. Hell yes, we’re still celebrating — and we’re not likely to stop. Even if this season doesn’t go as swimmingly. Especially if it doesn’t.
We couldn’t forget the Birds’ first Lombardi Trophy if we tried, because murals commemorating the historic victory are popping up all over the city. The newcomers join a few homages to the team that were already in place.
To help keep track of all the glorious wall art, we’ve compiled this list. Here’s a rundown of all the Eagles murals in Philly.
(Know one we didn’t include? Send a note to danya@billypenn.com and we’ll add it.)
1) ‘Bringing it Home’ on the Hale Building
Location: Juniper and Sansom streets in the Gayborhood
Completion date: Sept. 6, 2018
Officially endorsed by the Eagles, this 2,500-square-foot painting by renowned muralist Meg Saligman features a giant bald eagle gripping the Lombardi Trophy and trailing a giant flag emblazoned with the team logo. Above the image are the words “World Champions,” the date of the game and the final score.
2) Caricature at The Palm Philadelphia
Location: Inside the restaurant at Broad and Walnut
Completion date: Sept. 5, 2018
The steakhouse in the Bellevue is known for its caricatures of local celebrities — a recent renovation carefully saved most of the originals so they could be reinstated in the new joint. Next to them is now a 24-square-foot group of Eagles, including owner Jeffrey Lurie, fan favorite Brian Dawkins and other members of the championship team.
3) Eagles Super Bowl mural at Spike’s Trophies
Location: Grant Avenue in Northeast Philly
Completion date: May 8, 2018
Since 2015, the trophy-maker’s warehouse in the Northeast has been decorated with a general sports-themed “City of Champions” mural, so adding something commemorating the SB52 win was almost inevitable. In collaboration with Mural Arts, original artist David McShane returned to paint a brightly-colored strip featuring five championship players plus coach Doug Pederson.
4) Philly Special mural in South Philly
Location: Second and Sigel streets in Pennsport
Completion date: Sept. 4, 2018
This one appears to be a guerilla project that’s not officially endorsed or promoted by anyone other than some truly serious fans (including one named “Stosh,” per Philly Mag). Painted in simple white over hunter green, the image is of the diagram for the Philly Special, the Trey Burton-to-Nick Foles touchdown that will go down as one of the ballsiest trick plays in NFL history.
5) ‘Bird Feed’ at Saligman Studios
Location: Bainbridge Street in Bella Vista
Date completed: Jan 31, 2018
The inspiration for Meg Saligman’s official world champions mural on the Hale Building was a smaller version she painted last winter on the outside of her studio. That one, which is still up, showed the big bird of prey gripping a hapless Tom Brady in its talons — which helps explain why it went viral during the leadup to the Big Game. People still snap selfies next to it almost daily.
6) ‘Our City, Our Team’ across from the Linc
Location: South Darien Street in South Philly
Date completed: Spring 2015
The Eagles commissioned this one, which is right across from their stadium. With the help of dozens of ticketholders, players and staff, who all picked up paint brushes, a Mural Arts team constructed a giant collage of imagery that takes up a whopping 17,000 square feet. It’s the second-largest mural in Philly and the fifth-largest in the nation. In February, the title “Super Bowl Champion” was added.
7) ‘Never Forget Beau Allen’ memorial
Location: “A block from Geno’s” in Italian Market / East Passyunk
Date completed: Not yet
This one takes the absurdity of player-worship to its logical conclusion. Eagles defensive end Chris Long was apparently missing former teammate Beau Allen, who was traded to the Bucs last March. Long tweeted a challenge to erect a mural in Allen’s honor, and some enterprising fans are actually trying to do it. No guarantees at this point, but there’s a Kickstarter. It could happen.
