Dickinson Square West | |
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Coordinates: 39°55′34″N75°10′05″W / 39.926°N 75.168°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Pennsylvania |
County | Philadelphia |
City | Philadelphia |
Area code(s) | Area codes 215, 267, and 445 |
Dickinson Square West is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States bordered by neighborhoods Queen Village to the north, Whitman to the south, Pennsport to the east and Passyunk Square and East Passyunk Crossing to the west. [1] The neighborhood was previously referred to as "Dickinson Narrows", but was officially reestablished as "Dickinson Square West" in 2013 by the Registered Community Organization, Dickinson Square West Civic Association, located within its boundaries. [2] In October, 2018, The Dickinson Square West Civic Association passed an amendment to expand the southern boundary from Mifflin Street to Snyder Ave [3]
The boundaries of Dickinson Square West are Washington Avenue to Snyder Avenue, and Fourth to Sixth streets. [4]
Long before William Penn and the founding of the city of Philadelphia, or even the arrival of Swedish settlers, the Lenni Lenape Indians claimed the land they called Weccacoe (pleasant place), now known as South Philadelphia. In 1638, Weccacoe became part of New Sweden when the early Swedes established Fort Christina (now Wilmington, Delaware) and settled along the Delaware River as far north as present day Trenton, New Jersey.
The Dutch briefly claimed control of what is now southeastern Pennsylvania from the Swedes in 1655, but the land was quickly ceded to the British, and in 1682 the king of England granted a land charter for what is now Pennsylvania to William Penn. Penn renamed Weccacoe Southwark, after a neighborhood in London, England. Penn's new city of Philadelphia quickly grew along the Delaware River waterfront and spilled over its original southern boundary of Cedar Street (now South Street) by the early 18th century. By 1687, the Southwark District (now South Philadelphia) was divided into two townships, which retained their original American Indian names, Moyamensing (pigeon droppings) and Passyunk (in the valley).
Provincial secretary Richard Peters noted the dramatic changes in Southwark's appearance as early as 1743, when he wrote to Governor Thomas Penn,"Southwark is getting greatly disfigured by erecting irregular and mean houses; thereby so marring its beauty that, when he shall return, he will lose his usual pretty walk to Wiccaco." Peters may have been referring to the wood-framed buildings that were common throughout Southwark. Whole blocks developed seemingly overnight; wooden houses were cheaper to construct, but harder to maintain. [5]
During the 19th century, Pascal Iron Works was situated in the squares between Moyamensing road and Fifth street, and Franklin (later Tasker) and Morris streets, [6] then only the block between Fourth and Fifth streets. Stephen Paschall (1800-1865) formed Paschall Iron Works in 1821. In 1835 he was joined by his brother, Henry Morris, and Thomas T. Tasker, a Philadelphia preacher with a penchant for mechanics, to form S. P. Morris & Company. Sometime between 1835 and 1856, S. P. Morris & Co. became known as Morris Tasker & Morris, when another brother, Wistar Morris (1815-1891), took the place of retiree Stephen Paschall. By 1856, the organization's name had changed once more to Pascal Iron Works and Morris, Tasker & Company. These companies manufactured a number of different iron products throughout the 1800s, including stoves, grates, pipes, valves, fountains, radiators, and fire hydrants. [7] [8] [9]
Newcomers in the early 20th century continued to move farther south. This is evidenced by the building of Mt. Sinai Hospital (recently demolished) in 1921 by Russian Jews between 4th and 5th streets along Reed street, between the community's initial center at 5th and Bainbridge streets and the area south of Snyder where it would relocate. By World War I, 7th Street, mostly south of Tasker Street, had become “a shopping mecca,” where Jewish merchants sold anything that could be bought. It would become the major artery of the Jewish neighborhood in South Philadelphia, surrounded by important community centers like the Workmen's Circle on 6th Street and Tasker Street. [10] After World War II, many of South Philadelphia's ethnic enclaves began a long and steady decline as the children of new immigrants left the neighborhood for other parts of the city and nearby suburbs. [5]
Dickinson Square West is a narrow, two-block-wide strip of land stretching from Washington Avenue on the north to Snyder Avenue on the south from 4th to 6th streets. It came into existence mainly because of the city's zoning code, which formalizes the role civic and community associations have historically played in reviewing and approving requests for zoning variances. [11] Dickinson Square West is a unique and exciting part of that patchwork and is quickly becoming a high point of the Philadelphia real estate market. The area imbibes and accentuates all of the greatest attributes of South Philadelphia's extraordinary charm, which is emphasized by its selection of parks, playgrounds, small businesses, and restaurants. [12] Real estate site Redfin ranked it only behind San Diego's El Cerrito neighborhood on their “Hottest Neighborhoods of 2015” list. [13]
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west. A diverse working-class community of many neighborhoods, South Philadelphia is well-known for its large Italian-American population, but it also contains large Asian American, Irish-American, African-American, and Latino populations.
The Schuylkill Expressway, locally known as "the Schuylkill", is a freeway through southern Montgomery County and Philadelphia. It is the easternmost segment of Interstate 76 (I-76) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It extends from the Valley Forge interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in King of Prussia, paralleling its namesake Schuylkill River for most of the route, southeast to the Walt Whitman Bridge over the Delaware River in South Philadelphia. It serves as the primary corridor into Philadelphia from points west. Maintenance and planning for most of the highway are administered through Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 6, with the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) maintaining the approach to the Walt Whitman Bridge.
Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the city borders to be coterminous with Philadelphia County.
Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 6,215 as of the 2010 United States Census. Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia. After urban decay developed between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an urban renewal program began in the 1950s, restoring the area and its many historic buildings. Society Hill has since become one of the most expensive neighborhoods with the highest average income and second-highest real estate values in Philadelphia. Society Hill's historic colonial architecture, along with planning and restoration efforts, led the American Planning Association to designate it, in 2008, as one of the great American neighborhoods and a good example of sustainable urban living.
Queen Village is a residential neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States that lies along the eastern edge of the city in South Philadelphia. It shares boundaries with Society Hill to the north, Bella Vista to the west and Pennsport to the south. Street boundaries are the south side of Lombard Street to the north side of Washington Avenue, the Delaware River to 6th Street, encompassing two principal commercial corridors, South Street and Fabric Row on 4th Street.
Point Breeze is a multicultural neighborhood in South Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is bounded by 25th Street to the west, Washington Avenue to the north, Broad Street to the east, and Moore Street to the south. Southwest Center City lies to its north. Passyunk Square and East Passyunk Crossing lie to its east. Point Breeze is separated from Grays Ferry to the west by a CSX railway viaduct over 25th Street.
Southwark was originally the Southwark District, a colonial-era municipality in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States. Today, it is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Because of its location south of the early Philadelphia, the name was adopted in allusion to the borough of Southwark in the county of London, England, just south of the city of London.
Pennsport is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
Public housing in Philadelphia is a significant portion of the overall housing stock in Philadelphia. Most public housing is operated by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. On average, a Philadelphia public housing development is 69% African American, 26% Hispanic, and 5% White and other.
Whitman is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is bounded on the west by Sixth Street, on the east by Front Street, on the south by Bigler Street, and on the north by Snyder Avenue. The name "Whitman" was adopted when the nearby Walt Whitman Bridge was being constructed in the 1950s. In 2015, Whitman and nearby South Philadelphia neighborhoods were named by Philadelphia Magazine as one of the safest and most family-friendly neighborhoods in Philadelphia.
Newbold is a neighborhood located in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
East Passyunk Crossing is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its location is considered to be from Tasker Street to Snyder Avenue and Broad Street to 6th Street.
Passyunk Square is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia bounded by Broad Street to the west, 6th Street to the east, Tasker Street to the south and Washington Avenue to the north. Passyunk Square is bordered by the Bella Vista, Hawthorne, Central South Philadelphia, Wharton, and Point Breeze neighborhoods. The neighborhood got its Lenape name from the 1800s Passyunk Township, Pennsylvania which named Passyunk Square Park, located between 12th, 13th, Reed and Wharton Streets. The park was eventually renamed Columbus Square Park, and subsequently the neighborhood became known as Columbus Square. Sue Montella, Geoff DiMasi, and a group of neighbors revived the Passyunk Square name when forming the Passyunk Square Civic Association in 2003. The name "Passyunk Square" was researched and proposed by Geoff DiMasi after considering other historical names like Wharton that had been used in the neighborhood over the years. The area has come to be known as Little Saigon for its large Vietnamese American commercial and residential presence, with one of the largest Vietnamese populations on the east coast.
Wharton is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its boundaries are difficult to ascertain; the City of Philadelphia states it is along Wharton Street, west of Pennsport, and east of Point Breeze. According to this description, the neighborhood runs from about 4th Street to Broad, with no clear north to south boundaries. By other descriptions, the neighborhood runs from 8th to 13th Streets and Wolf to Tasker Streets. This description places Wharton along the southern border of Passyunk Square.
Route 29 is a former streetcar and trackless trolley line and current bus route, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The line runs between the Gray's Ferry neighborhood and the vicinity of Pier 70 along the Delaware River.
West Passyunk is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is bounded by Mifflin Street to the north, West Passyunk Avenue to the south, South 18th Street to east, and South 25th Street to the west. It is served by the 1st Police District, located at 24th and Wolf Streets.
Lower Moyamensing is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, situated just south of the East Passyunk Crossing neighborhood and north of the stadium area. It is bounded by Snyder Avenue to the north, Oregon Avenue to the south, South 7th Street to the east, and South Broad Street to the west. The neighborhood was once part of Moyamensing Township before becoming part of Philadelphia in 1854. Lower Moyamensing is known for its 19th century row homes, factory buildings, and variety of restaurants. South Philadelphia High School is located in Lower Moyamensing, at the corner of Broad and Jackson Streets.
Vare-Washington School, is a K-8 school in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a part of the School District of Philadelphia. It occupies the former George Washington School building in the Dickinson Narrows neighborhood, in proximity to Southwark.
Abigail Vare School is a former school building located in the Pennsport neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located across from Dickinson Square Park.