Old Victorian turned bohemian

A Victorian-style house at 42nd and Spruce streets may not stand out to passers-by, but it has been home to a vibrant community of artists from around the area for the past 40 years.

The University City Arts League is a nonprofit, community-based arts center. The goal of the organization is to add to the arts culture of the neighborhood.

More than 70 classes are offered at the center, in subjects as diverse as pottery, hip-hop dance and acting.

According to Educational Programming Coordinator Jeanene Johnson, having a variety of classes "makes us unique because we have all these things under one roof."

More than 3,000 students ranging in age from toddlers to senior citizens take classes each year. Many students are Philadelphia natives, but Penn students, faculty and staff also populate the classes.

Anne-Marie Mulgrew has been teaching dance classes at the center for the past 20 years.

"It's really a community here," Mulgrew said. "I kind of call it my artistic home."

Neighborhood resident Rachel Klein, who does social work in Center City, is currently taking her second modern-dance class with Mulgrew. She has also taken a photography class at the center.

"I feel like I'm more in touch with the community," Klein said. "It's not just my group of friends or co-workers. I get to meet other people."

Many Arts League regulars cited the open and comfortable atmosphere as one of the factors that draw them to the center.

"It's such a relaxed atmosphere. I've met a lot of really great people," Johnson said. "It's not your typical office job, it's more like your home. ... You feel like a hostess."

Pottery student Wendy Graves-Papadopoulos owns Satellite, a coffee shop at 50th and Baltimore streets.

She has been taking pottery classes at the center for the last five years after hearing about the center through word-of-mouth.

"Everything else in my life is chaotic, and this is a good place to come and quietly decompress and make things out of mud," she said.

Other patrons discovered the center's classes simply because they lived in the neighborhood.

"It's very comfortable," said Molly Uravitch, who moved to Philadelphia last year.

Uravitch started taking classes at the center after riding her bike past it. "It's been a friendly place. ... I definitely want to be involved in the community."

Neighborhood art - Location: 4226 Spruce St. - Classes: Photography, poetry, soap-making, silk-screening, belly dancing, hip-hop dance, acting - Cost: Most classes run between $40 and $100, with discounts for members

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