1241 Carpenter Studios

This 19th-century factory building, originally home to the Main Belting Company, was transformed into a massive complex of private art studios, hosting more than 50 artists and craftspeople of varying mediums. Occasionally, the artists open up their workspaces to the public during special exhibitions and the annual Philadlephia Open Studios Tour. The building also houses a gallery called Artspace 1241, which features a rapidly expanding schedule of exhibitions throughout the year. Also of note is the huge mural that covers the warehouse’s facade. Painted by Phillip Adams and commissioned by Mural Arts Philadelphia, the work, called Industrious Light: Leviathan Main Belting, recalls the days when the structure was a working factory with a series of wheel cogs that are revealed from under a nature-scene-clad drape.