Map and photos of Mt. Airy’s painted rain barrels

Have you seen one or two of Mt. Airy’s colorful new rain barrels and wondered where the others are hiding along Germantown Avenue? Many of the barrels are not actually visible from the street. To discover their exact location is to undertake a old fashioned treasure hunt.

Newsworks has made the hunt a bit easier for those so inclined. Each barrel which is currently out there collecting this summer’s rainwater has been photographed and mapped with its precise location. A total of 12 rain barrels are currently installed at various business locations on Germantown Avenue.

Several of the rain barrels are tucked away from pedestrian sight. For many of the sites that were chosen to receive a barrel, the gutter empties in the rear or to the side of the building.

For the Trolley Car Diner, the barrel is still easily accessed by patrons who use the parking lot. It sits at the building’s north corner and is free from obstruction.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

The rain barrel at Avenida restaurant sits behind a bush in a small lot adjacent its outdoor dining seating, not very accessible to patrons. Mr. Peeper’s optical shop has its rain barrel placed right on the street, but it is blocked from view by the store’s sandwich board.

Community Acupuncture of Mt. Airy (CAMA) has one of the rain barrels, but it, too, is situated behind the building. Cliveden has a rain barrel positioned at the Carriage House, which is located at the far end of the Trust’s grounds on Morton street.

Primitive World Productions is one of the properties on the list of designated rain barrel sites, but the barrel is missing.

The Mt. Airy Business Improvement District (BID) secured 20 rain barrels from the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) to capture rainwater along Germantown Avenue. The barrels will be used to reduce storm water run-off and to care for BID’s greenery projects, such as the 90 hanging flower baskets. BID partnered with the Mt. Airy Art Garage (MAAG) to put an artistic spin on the project with MAAG members painting each barrel using the themes of ecology and community.

BID’s Executive Director, Hollie Malamud-Price stated that she did not know when MAAG would be finished with the remaining eight rain barrels nor if they, too, would eventually be installed on Germantown Avenue.

If you spot any new ones, please share with us the location in the comments.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal