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Castor Gardens | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 39°59′35″N75°05′31″W / 39.993°N 75.092°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Pennsylvania |
County | Philadelphia |
City | Philadelphia |
Area code(s) | 215, 267, and 445 |
Castor Gardens is a neighborhood in the lower Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Castor Gardens' borders are not clearly defined, but it exists in the vicinity of Castor Avenue and Cottman Avenue. [1] It is also near Roosevelt Boulevard. The neighborhood can either be entered from the south, by taking the Oxford Circle exit of Roosevelt Boulevard, or from the north, by taking the Cottman Avenue exit. Adjacent neighborhoods are Mayfair, Lawndale, Burholme, Oxford Circle, and Rhawnhurst.
Castor Gardens uses the zip codes 19111 and 19149. Physical boundaries are: Pennway Street to the west, Roosevelt Boulevard to the east, Cottman Avenue on the north, and Van Kirk Avenue on the south.
The area is served by Roosevelt Mall, one of the largest shopping centers in Philadelphia, the Northeast Regional Library branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the District 10 Health Center of the city of Philadelphia.
Castor Gardens was the name of a development of detached homes built north of Magee Avenue, on the east side of Whitaker Avenue. Its name is derived from Castor's mill, which was located to the south of Little Tacony Creek, where it would have crossed Castor Avenue (referred to as "Hartshorne'Rd." on some maps. This was near present-day Magee. Creek is now under the streets. [2]
The brick colonial homes of Castor Gardens were considered more prestigious than the row homes located south of Magee Avenue, which were part of the neighborhood known as Oxford Circle (getting its name from the traffic circle located at the juncture of Oxford Avenue, Castor Avenue, and Roosevelt Boulevard, formerly known as Hunter's Circle).
As the neighborhood developed, the area between Magee and Cottman Avenue, Whitaker Avenue and Castor Avenue was mostly semi-detached and detached homes. To differentiate this area from the row homes south of Magee and east of Castor Avenue, the use of the name Castor Gardens began in the 1950s.
As people began to indicate a preference for Castor Gardens as opposed to Oxford Circle, the name was applied to a larger and larger area, first encompassing the newest row homes in the area (north of Tyson Avenue) and eventually encompassing the entire area formerly known as Oxford Circle, while that name was relegated to the homes located south of Oxford Avenue which were older and smaller homes mostly built in the 1920s and 1930s. The housing stock in Castor Gardens were built as early as the 1930s, with construction halted during the years of World War II. The housing boom after World War II fueled additional construction, with the last homes being built on streets located along Cottman Avenue in 1956. Some spot building (building completed on a lot by lot basis) continued to the present day[ citation needed ].
Castor Gardens Middle School, (then Woodrow Wilson Junior High School), which resides within the neighborhood, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. [3]
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Historically, Castor Gardens was a primarily white, middle class Jewish community, but starting the past decade, the area has experienced significant change with the integration of Koreans, Cambodians, Hispanics, Arabs, African Americans, Chinese, Indians, and Brazilians (who are considered Latino, not Hispanic). [ citation needed ]
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Political leaders of note who were residents of Castor Gardens at one time include former Councilman-at-Large Jack Kelly, former Congressman Charles F. Dougherty, the late Congressman Joshua Eilberg, and the late leader of the Northeast Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center Anthony Iannerelli. Philadelphia Controller Alan Butkovitz currently resides there with his wife Theresa. Notable Republican William G. Baumbach III and also Mark Cohen had long resided there.
A Democratic stronghold, the area is split into many political districts. It is currently represented in the United States House of Representatives by Brendan Boyle, in the Pennsylvania State Senate by Christine Tartaglione, and in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by Jared Solomon. The Ninth District seat on the City Council (which includes this area) is presently vacant. [4]
Castor Gardens Middle School, 1800 Cottman Avenue, is in Castor Gardens.
Free Library of Philadelphia operates the Bushrod Branch at 6304 Castor Avenue at Stirling Street. [5]
The Northeast Regional Library, also part of the Free Library of Philadelphia, is the largest and most well known library in Castor Gardens and is located at 2228 Cottman Ave at Oakland Street.
Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Northeast and the Great Northeast, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of between 300,000 and 450,000, depending on how the area is defined. The Northeast is known as being home to a large and diverse working class population, including Polish, German, Jewish, Russian, African American, Brazilian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Guatemalan, Ukrainian, Indian, Chinese, Irish, and Vietnamese neighborhoods.
Frankford is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia situated about six miles (10 km) northeast of Center City. Although its borders are vaguely defined, the neighborhood is bounded roughly by the original course of Frankford Creek on the south to Castor Avenue on the northwest and southwest, to Cheltenham Avenue on the north, and to Aramingo Avenue and I-95 on the east. Adjacent neighborhoods are Bridesburg, Juniata, Northwood, Summerdale, and Wissinoming.
Roosevelt Boulevard, officially named the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Boulevard and locally known as "the Boulevard", is a major traffic artery through North and Northeast Philadelphia. The road begins at Interstate 76 in Fairmount Park, running as a freeway also known as the Roosevelt Boulevard Extension or the Roosevelt Expressway through North Philadelphia, then transitioning into a twelve-lane boulevard that forms the spine of Northeast Philadelphia to its end at the city line.
Lawncrest is a neighborhood in the "Near" (lower) Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The name is an amalgam of Lawndale and Crescentville, the two primary communities that make up the neighborhood. The Philadelphia Inquirer does not consider Lawncrest to be a neighborhood.
Holmesburg began as a Village within Lower Dublin Township, Pennsylvania. It is now a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Holmesburg was named in Honor of Surveyor General of Pennsylvania Thomas Holme, who was a cartographer.
Mayfair is a working class neighborhood in lower Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, centered on the intersection of Cottman and Frankford Avenues. It is bordered by Tacony and Wissinoming to the south and east, Holmesburg to the east, Pennypack Park to the north, and Oxford Circle and Rhawnhurst to the west. Mayfair is historically home to a large Irish American population, but more recently has seen accelerated growth of Asian American, Hispanic, Russian and mid eastern population
Rhawnhurst is a residential neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, named for George and William Rhawn by area real estate developers. Roughly bordered by Cottman Avenue to the south, Pennway Street to the west, the Pennypack Creek to the north, and Roosevelt Boulevard to the east, Rhawnhurst encompasses ZIP codes 19152 and part of ZIP code 19111. The geographic center of Rhawnhurst is at the intersection of Castor Avenue and Rhawn Street.
Somerton is a neighborhood in the Far Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The neighborhood is bounded by Red Lion Road on the south, Roosevelt Boulevard on the east, East County Line Road and Poquessing Creek on the north, and the Philadelphia County / Montgomery County line on the west. Somerton is adjacent to the Philadelphia neighborhoods of Bustleton, Normandy, and Byberry, the townships of Bensalem and Lower Southampton in Bucks County, and Lower Moreland Township in Montgomery County. The area is home to a large and fast-growing foreign-born population, most notably of Russian, Ukrainian, Indian, and Central Asian immigrants.
Logan is a neighborhood in the upper North Philadelphia section of the city of Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The majority of the neighborhood falls within the 19141 zip code, but some of it falls within 19140. The neighborhood is sometimes confused with the Olney neighborhood of Philadelphia. Olney Avenue extends from both the Olney and Logan neighborhoods of the city. The Olney Transportation Center is located in Logan.
Tacony is a historic neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, United States, approximately 8 miles (13 km) from downtown Philadelphia. It is bounded by the east side of Frankford Avenue on the northwest, the south side of Cottman Avenue on the northeast, the north side of Robbins Street on the southwest, and the Delaware River and Interstate 95 on the southeast.
Feltonville is a working-class neighborhood in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located east of Logan and Hunting Park, west of Lawncrest and Juniata, south of Olney, and north of Fairhill and Harrowgate. Feltonville is bounded by Erie Avenue to the south, Front Street to the west, Roosevelt Boulevard to the north, Tacony Creek to the northeast, and G Street to the east.
Oxford Circle is a neighborhood in the lower Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its namesake is the much used traffic circle at Roosevelt Boulevard and Oxford Avenue. The Oxford Circle neighborhood has traditionally included the areas up to Rhawnhurst and Mayfair but does not really have a fixed boundary, other than in publications about Philadelphia which are of a public relations or informational nature.
Pennsylvania Route 232 (PA 232) is a 25.2-mile-long (40.6 km) state highway located in southeastern Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 1 (US 1)/US 13 at the Oxford Circle in Philadelphia. The northern terminus is at PA 32 in the borough of New Hope, Bucks County, on the banks of the Delaware River. The route passes through the urban areas of Northeast Philadelphia as Oxford Avenue, serving the Lawncrest, Burholme, and Fox Chase neighborhoods. Upon entering Montgomery County, PA 232 becomes Huntingdon Pike and through suburban areas, serving the communities of Rockledge, Huntingdon Valley, and Bryn Athyn. The route passes through more suburban development in Bucks County as Second Street Pike, running through Southampton and Richboro. In Wrightstown Township, PA 232 enters rural areas and becomes Windy Bush Road as it heads north to New Hope.
Pennsylvania Route 73 (PA 73) is a 62.32-mile (100.29 km) long east–west state highway in southeastern Pennsylvania. It runs from PA 61 near Leesport southeast to the New Jersey state line on the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge over the Delaware River in Philadelphia, where the road continues south as New Jersey Route 73. The route passes through rural areas of Berks County, crossing U.S. Route 222 (US 222) in Maiden Creek before heading southeast through Oley and Boyertown. PA 73 continues into Montgomery County and intersects PA 100 in Gilbertsville and PA 29 in Schwenksville before it heads into the northwest suburbs of Philadelphia. The route passes through Skippack and intersects US 202 in Center Square, PA 309 in Springfield Township, and PA 611 near Jenkintown. PA 73 continues through Northeast Philadelphia on Cottman Avenue, crossing US 1 and US 13 before coming to an interchange with Interstate 95 (I-95) near the Tacony–Palmyra Bridge.
U.S. Route 1 (US 1) is a major north–south U.S. Route, extending from Key West, Florida, in the south to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canada–United States border in the north. In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, US 1 runs for 81 miles (130 km) from the Maryland state line near Nottingham northeast to the New Jersey state line at the Delaware River in Morrisville, through the southeastern portion of the state. The route runs southwest to northeast and serves as a major arterial road through the city of Philadelphia and for many of the suburbs in the Delaware Valley metropolitan area. South of Philadelphia, the road mostly follows the alignment of the Baltimore Pike. Within Philadelphia, it mostly follows Roosevelt Boulevard. North of Philadelphia, US 1 parallels the route of the Lincoln Highway. Several portions of US 1 in Pennsylvania are freeways, including from near the Maryland state line to Kennett Square, the bypass of Media, the concurrency with Interstate 76 and the Roosevelt Expressway in Philadelphia, and between Bensalem Township and the New Jersey state line.
U.S. Route 13 (US 13) is a United States Numbered Highway running from Fayetteville, North Carolina, north to Morrisville, Pennsylvania. The route runs for 49.359 miles (79.436 km) through the Delaware Valley metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route enters the state from Delaware in Marcus Hook, Delaware County. It continues northeast through Delaware County, passing through the city of Chester before heading through suburban areas along Chester Pike to Darby. US 13 enters the city of Philadelphia on Baltimore Avenue and runs through West Philadelphia to University City, where it turns north along several city streets before heading east across the Schuylkill River along Girard Avenue. The route turns north and heads to North Philadelphia, where it runs northeast along Hunting Park Avenue. US 13 becomes concurrent with US 1 on Roosevelt Boulevard, continuing into Northeast Philadelphia. US 13 splits southeast on a one-way pair of streets before heading northeast out of the city on Frankford Avenue. The route continues into Bucks County as Bristol Pike, heading northeast to Bristol, where it becomes a divided highway. US 13 becomes a freeway in Tullytown and continues north to its terminus at US 1 in Falls Township, near Morrisville. US 13 roughly parallels Interstate 95 (I-95) through its course in Pennsylvania.
Crescentville is a neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, United States. It is located in the vicinity of Adams, Rising Sun, and Tabor Avenues. The name Crescentville is thought to be derived from the Crescentville Rope Factory that once stood along the Tookany Creek watershed.
Lawndale is a neighborhood in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located near Rising Sun and Oxford avenues and is south of Cottman Avenue.
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Northeast Philadelphia.
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