The days are numbered for the Painted Bride Art Center’s colorful former building in Old City, which stands as one of artist Isaiah Zagar’s largest public pieces.

The Philadelphia Magic Gardens, which promotes and preserves Zagar’s work, said demolition of the building at 230 Vine St. is moving ahead after months of uncertainty. Its team will have “two weeks starting in mid-October to remove and save any tiles that we’re able to,” before the current owners level the property, “most likely in November,” PMG events and marketing manager Allison Boyle said Thursday in an email.

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The building was the longtime home of the Painted Bride Art Center, a theater and gallery now headquartered in West Philadelphia. But since its sale to Atrium Design Group, which was finalized last year, the property has sat vacant as the developers worked out plans to convert the space into apartments. 

The building’s 7,000-square-foot mosaic, known as “The Skin of the Bride,” has been a matter of contention for fans of Zagar, who have fought to preserve the piece for years. A 2018 bid to add the site to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places failed in a 5-4 vote.

Atrium Design Group had previously proposed a plan to build luxury townhomes over the existing structure, a concept which won approval from preservationists and the city. But a group of Old City residents successfully appealed that decision last year, citing the neighborhood’s 65-foot height limit. Now, the developers are planning a 6-story, H-shaped building which would incorporate pieces of the mural on the first floor.

PMG, however, has said that many pieces cannot be easily removed and that “the vast majority” of Zagar’s mosaic “will be lost.” 

Atrium Design Group did not respond to requests for comment.

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