As part of a citywide effort to modernize transit shelters, 11 bus shelters on Chestnut Street are getting a special makeover with restored public art.

“Transit Shelters 1-11” was a series of 11 artwork installations on the Chestnut Street bus shelters between 7th and 17th Streets. The work was created by artist Pablo Tauler in 2000, commissioned by the City’s Percent for Art Program.

The original artwork featured a stainless steel and hand-cast antiqued glass panel on the east end of the shelter, and a “crown” of stainless steel and antiqued glass atop the shelter. The artwork – inspired by the surrounding architecture – made the utilitarian bus shelters a unique and hand-crafted feature along the Chestnut Street corridor.

Since being installed almost two decades ago, the bus shelter structures were significantly deteriorated and past their useful life. The old structures were removed and new bus shelters are being installed as part of the street furniture modernization program of the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability (OTIS).

The Tauler art glass panels were salvaged from the old shelters, have been restored by the artist and Kreilick Conservation LLC, and are being integrated into the new shelters. The project is undertaken by the Office of Arts, Culture, and the Creative Economy’s Conservation and Collection Management Program in collaboration with OTIS.

When installation is complete, the art shelters can be viewed along Chestnut Street from 6th Street to 18th Street.