Arch Street (Philadelphia)

Arch Street is a major east-west street in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Arch Street

Girard Fountain Park on Arch Street, 2007.
Former name(s)	Mulberry Street^[1] Holme Street Tioga Street
Owner	City of Philadelphia
Maintained by	Streets Department
Length	3.7 mi (6.0 km)^[2]
Location	Philadelphia
Nearest metro station	30th Street
Coordinates	39°57′15″N 75°09′42″W / 39.9543°N 75.1618°W / 39.9543; -75.1618
West end	Gross Street in Overbrook
Major junctions	I-76 / PA 3 in University City PA 611 in Center City
East end	Front Street in Old City
North	Race Street (West Phila.) Cherry Street (Center City)
South	Market Street (West Phila.) JFK Boulevard / Filbert Street (Center City)
Construction
Commissioned	1682

History

The street was called Mulberry Street in William Penn's original city grid, but it was renamed Arch in 1854.^{[1][unreliable source?]} Other parts of the street were once called Holme and Tioga streets.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1950s and 1960s, Arch from 6th to 11th Streets was known as "Radio Row", after its electronic-goods stores.^[3]

Present

Arch Street presently runs from the Delaware River one way westbound through Old City, where landmarks include the Arch Street Friends Meeting House, the Betsy Ross House, Girard Fountain Park, the U.S. Mint, and Christ Church Burial Ground. It crosses Independence Mall at 5th and 6th Streets, and traverses Philadelphia's Chinatown (Philadelphia) neighborhood.

The tourist areas around Logan Square and the museum district are just north of Arch Street, which ends just east of the Schuylkill River at 23rd Street. West of the river, there is a block of Arch Street between 30th Street Station and Cira Centre. Arch Street also runs eastbound one-way from 49th Street to 63rd Street.

Notes

1. Woodall, Peter (January 16, 2013). "What's In An Odonym?". Hidden City Daily. Hidden City Philadelphia. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
2. Google (January 14, 2017). "Arch Street" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
3. Kushnier, Ron (May 2, 2007). "I Remember Arch Street". PhillyHistory blog. City of Philadelphia. Retrieved July 2, 2014.

 

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