If these walls could talk...

1. Common Threads, Broad and Spring Garden streets

Artist: Meg Saligman.

Rising eight stories, Common Threads' figures are based on antique figurines owned by the artist's grandmother. Saligman had students from Benjamin Franklin High School and the High School for Creative and Performing Arts mirror their poses. On a typical weekday, 5,800 people pass through the SEPTA transportation stop at the intersection, making this one of Mural Arts' most visible and iconic murals.

2. Dr. J (Julius Erving), 1219 Ridge Ave.

Artist: Kent Twitchell.

This rendering of Philadelphia basketball legend Julius Erving (Dr. J) was created in 1990 by Los Angeles-based muralist Twitchell, using the technique of parachute-cloth fabric-transfer. The mural is nearly three stories tall, reflective of Erving's stature among his peers. One of the most innovative and graceful players of his time, Dr. J scored more than 30,000 points in his career with ABA and NBA teams, including the Philadelphia 76ers.

3. Metamorphosis: Blueprint to End Homelessness, 1360 Ridge Ave.

Artist: Josh Sarantitis.

This 5,000-square-foot mural was designed with the input and assistance of homeless men enrolled in a drug and alcohol recovery program at the Ridge Avenue Shelter. The design depicts their struggle to "metamorphosize" from addiction to health and the role of family, shelter staff and the wider community in this process. Residents created the metal butterflies - each represents a homeless individual - that surround the main figure and cast dramatic shadows on the wall.

4. A Celebration of Poetry & Celebrate the Arts, 1531 and 1535 W. Girard Ave.

Artist: Parris Stancell.

This mural, a tribute to African-American poets, begins in Africa with the central placement of two strong women - one pouring water into the ground and another playing a traditional musical instrument. The path continues in the cotton fields of America, rising to the corner where blues and jazz musicians play. The adventure culminates in the current day with a poetry reading, inviting passers-by to sit and listen for a while. The words of six poets, including Philadelphia's Sonia Sanchez, weave through the design.

5. ARTsolutely Awesome North Philly . . . Yeah!, Arts Garage, 1516 Parrish St.

Artist: Marcus Akinlana.

ARTsolutely is a tribute to Philly's arts community, the Francisville neighborhood where it is located and its role in the Civil Rights movement. The mural is on the side of the Arts Garage - a performance venue for emerging artists. Its owner, Ola Solanke, is depicted in the mural, dressed in blue and playing the African talking drum.

6. North Philadelphia Heroes, 1214 N. Broad St.

Artist: Cliff Eubanks.

This mural was created in conjunction with a job-shadowing program for teens that pairs a teen and a muralist, providing a stipend for the teen's work. Teens interviewed the families of neighborhood heroes Alphonse Deal and Dr. Ethel Allen, then created a mural in their honor. Deal - a police officer who later became a state senator - founded the Guardian Civic League, an organizing group for African-American police officers. Allen was the city's first African-American councilwoman and a doctor who was passionate about helping the poor.

7. The Legendary Blue Horizon, 1314 N. Broad St.

Artist: David McShane.

The idea for a boxing mural originated when Mural Arts executive director Jane Golden saw a documentary about Muhammad Ali. A few months later, representatives from the Legendary Blue Horizon boxing hall - considered one of the best boxing venues in the world - expressed interest in having a mural on its wall, facing bustling Broad Street. The mural depicts four boxers - Ali, Joe Frazier, Larry "The Easton Assassin" Holmes and George Foreman.

8. Tribute to Cecil B. Moore, 1704 Cecil B. Moore Ave.

Artist: Cavin Jones.

Cecil Bassett Moore was the Philadelphia lawyer and civil-rights activist who led the fight to integrate Girard College, previously a prestigious boarding school open only to white male orphans. He was president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP from 1963 to 1969 and a member of Philadelphia's City Council.

9. Grover Washington Jr., 2032 N. Broad St.

Artist: Peter Pagast.

Grover Washington grew up in Buffalo, N.Y., where his love of music blossomed as a child. In his teens, he left Buffalo to play in the Midwest and was later drafted into the U.S. Army, where he played in the Army band. He met his wife, Christine, in Philadelphia and established himself as the progenitor of smooth jazz.

10. Uptown Reunion, 2240-2248 N. Broad St.

Artist: Peter Pagast.

This mural celebrates the musical heritage and cultural influence of the Uptown Theater, which opened in the late 1920s as a movie palace and live-performance venue. The musical careers of Ray Charles, the Jackson 5 and the Temptations, among others, were launched there. The mural also highlights Georgie Woods, "The Man with the Goods," a popular DJ of the era who used his airtime and celebrity to advocate for civil rights.

11. The Domino Players - A Tribute to Horace Pippins, 1410 W. York St.

Artist: Delia King (restoration).

"This is a new mural based on an old mural, 'The Domino Player,' at the same site," said restorer King. It is designed to reflect Horace Pippins' struggles as well as his contribution to American culture. Many of Pippins' paintings were influenced by his childhood memories and his experiences during World War I, when he was a member of the 369th U.S. Infantry Regiment, an all-black unit that earned the nickname the Harlem Hell Fighters. After his right arm was seriously injured during the war, the self-taught artist used his left arm to support and guide his useless arm so that he could continue to paint.

12. Jackie Robinson, 2803 N. Broad St.

Artist: David McShane.

This iconic mural was inspired by Jackie Robinson's historic entry into Major League Baseball, which hadn't seen an African-American player since the late 1880s. Robinson is portrayed stealing home in the World Series, and symbolizes the racial inequalities that existed in athletics at the time and his central role in breaking down those barriers. Less than a mile away from this mural is the site of the old Connie Mack Stadium (formerly Shibe Park), where Robinson played when the Brooklyn Dodgers visited Philadelphia.

13. Malcolm X, 3211 Ridge Ave.

Artist: Ernel Martinez.

This mural is a tribute to African-American Muslim minister, public speaker and human-rights activist Malcolm X. The quote on the mural reads, "Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." Malcolm X's legacy lives symbolically in his continued message of the values of intelligence, strength of character, independence and purpose.

14. Promised Land, 3015 Ridge Ave.

Artist: Josh Sarantitis.

Inspired by Catherine Ryan Hyde's "Pay It Forward" book and movie, this mural recognizes historic figures who have "paid it forward" in the truest sense. City muralists are experimenting with "build-outs," pieces of wood, metal or other materials that allow a mural to be extended beyond the boundaries of the wall, and this mural is a good example of that.

15. Women of Jazz, 3235 Arlington St.

Artist: Felix Osiemi.

The Women of Jazz mural features many of the most iconic female jazz performers in the world, including Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Betty Carter, Shirley Scott, Dottie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Mary Lou Williams. Smith, a talented drummer who moved to Philadelphia from North Carolina in the 1930s, continues to live and perform in the city. The tiles below and to the left of the mural were designed by students at several of the city's public schools.

16. Tribute to Urban Horsemen, 3222 W. Montgomery Ave.

Artist: Jason Slowik.

In this compressed urban history, near the painted intersection of Horsemen Way and 32nd Street, a mythic horse and rider based on the Buffalo Soldier of the Old West gallop through the sky haloed in a golden sunset as horses and riders of the present move through old Philadelphia streets. The design was inspired by the Cowboys and Cowgirls Association's collection of old photos. Adjudicated youth painted a section of the mural after meeting and learning the history of the urban horsemen. They are represented by the young men in white T-shirts.

17. Timeless Journey - A Tribute to Patti LaBelle, 34th Street and Mantua Avenue

Artist: Peter Pagast.

This mural celebrates Patti LaBelle, the famed diva of R&B, who was on hand in 1992 to attend the mural's dedication. In 2004, Mural Arts suggested updating the mural, and LaBelle agreed, choosing the photo on which the new mural is based from a photo shoot for her album "Timeless Journey." Born Patricia Louise Holte in Philadelphia in 1944, LaBelle formed her first singing group - The Ordettes - when she was just 15 and a student at John Bartram High School.

18. Holding Grandmother's Quilt, 3912 and 3923 Aspen St.

Artist: Donald Gensler and Jane Golden.

The central figure in this mural is Miss Jones, a member of this West Philadelphia community for more than 35 years. The quilt image symbolizes intergenerational learning - elders sharing knowledge with young people. In conjunction with the mural-making, the lot in between the two sides of the mural was cleaned up and turned into an inviting space for residents to congregate and relax.

19. Martin Luther King Jr., 3950 Lancaster Ave.

Artist: Cliff Eubanks.

Requested by the HUB Coalition - a nonprofit serving underprivileged youth in Mantua - this community mural is based on a historic photo of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Lancaster Avenue. The mural looks like a simple sepia-tone photograph, but more than 13 colors - including greens and purples - were used to bring vibrancy and depth to the image. A glazing technique was also used to bring a sense of movement as the sun travels over the mural.

20. The Tuskegee Airmen: They Met the Challenge, 16 S. 39th St.

Artist: Marcus Akinlana.

This mural pays homage to the Tuskegee Airmen and their perseverance to rise above racism in the U.S. Armed Forces. The largest image is the head and goggles of a pilot in combat, but inside the goggles on the left is the image of Alfred Anderson, the airmen's pilot trainer. Eight Philadelphia Tuskegee Airmen are included, as well as female parachute riggers, mechanics and the historic Army Airfield training building. Six bas-relief sculptures at the bottom were made in youth workshops.

21. Legacy, 707 Chestnut St.

Artist: Josh Sarantitis.

This mural about the abolition of slavery features images of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, and a young girl who has been affected by their actions. The mural measures almost 10,000 square feet and includes a 4,000-square-foot mosaic made from more than a million 3/4-inch glass tiles produced in Italy and France. Five public schools were involved in this project, as well as inmate artists in Mural Arts' classes at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford.