A reader, Alex, sent us this photo this morning of some graffiti at the recently opened Clarkville bar and restaurant on the corner of 43rd and Baltimore. He writes:
“I went to breakfast at Green Line this morning and noticed Clarkville has been vandalized. Xed out windows, and the messages “merry Christmas ” and “f*** you.” What a shame. I hope the owners can clean it up without too much trouble.”
We asked owner Leigh Maida whether Clarkville will be closed today. Her response: “No way! Open for business! Come eat and drink so we can pay for the repairs.”
UPDATE: Soon after this post was published the University City District graffiti removing crew showed up and helped clean up the building:
Photo courtesy UCD.
December 11th, 2015 at 10:56 am
So which is it? Merry Christmas or Fuc* You?
December 11th, 2015 at 11:19 am
This happened to the Bar(n) recently as well. Someone spray painted “Third World Lounge” on the side facing 49th. I guess someone is pissed that new bars are opening up!
December 11th, 2015 at 11:25 am
Graffiti is pretty common around Philly, but doesn’t tend to get cleaned up until reported. If you want any other graffiti cleaned up, just put in a request with the Philly 311 app. It’ll ask for address and description of surface material/paint color. If you’re submitting on a smart phone, you can also easily submit a picture.
December 11th, 2015 at 11:26 am
Very impressed with the photo accompanying this post.
December 11th, 2015 at 11:32 am
The Philly anti-graffiti crews don’t do a pretty job of covering it up. They will try to power wash it off, but otherwise it’s often paint rollers in buckets of a few colors they keep in the truck. I don’t think a new business would want that on their front wall.
December 11th, 2015 at 11:34 am
The person wrote Merry Christmas on the way in, and then the other thing on the way out, after he learned how much a drink coasts there.
December 11th, 2015 at 11:44 am
We were sorry to see the tag on the new business, but our cleaning crew stopped by to help clean up this morning. We offer this service throughout our coverage zone: http://www.universitycity.org/graffiti-removal
December 11th, 2015 at 12:17 pm
That’s a shame, but now I’ll be double sure to drop by soon and patronize Clarkville.
December 11th, 2015 at 12:55 pm
ppl spraypainted the Bar(n) with “first world lounge” and also squiggles. all of that was stupid. while unfortunate the clarkvile graffiti was actually funny, especially the ‘fuck you’ part. best luck to their business.
barn graffito was thought to be a former employee. here’s what we say to people “welcome to the neighborhood, fuck you”
maybe i’m horrible but i love it
December 11th, 2015 at 1:22 pm
I saw that the Bar(n) got “tagged” too I think this is the work of the same person! I hope they catch this idiot and make them pay too! In the mid 70’s we moved from SW Philly to South Jersey, things were getting really bad on Warrington Ave. Now I am back in this area after sooooo many years, I like what I see now. So much diversity, friendly folks, and great restaurants! The Baltimore Ave corridor has done a 360 and for some ignorant folks to mess up the harmony is just wrong!
December 11th, 2015 at 2:57 pm
And back when it first opened, the Gold Standard was paint-bombed. Sad, when local entrepreneurs care enough about our neighborhood to spend many thousands of their own + borrowed dollars to create great places for us to eat & drink.
December 11th, 2015 at 11:07 pm
I’m waiting for the gentrification police/Paulo Freire types defend this creation of ‘safe spaces’ for ‘paint artists’ who are oppressed by places like 3rd World Lounge turning into better places like the bar(n)…but they seem to not take the bait.
December 12th, 2015 at 12:29 am
O, come Armageddon…
December 12th, 2015 at 1:59 pm
It’ll be all Penn students in two years anyway. Instead of graffiti, we’ll be hop-scotching over puddles of vomit every Saturday morning.
December 17th, 2015 at 1:20 pm
I’m glad these cry babies are jealous and disenfranchised and feel angered by the fact that they will not be a part of the new prosperity. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA