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University City, Philadelphia

University City is the easternmost portion of West Philadelphia, encompassing several Philadelphia universities. It is situated directly across the Schuylkill River from Center City.

University City
From top left: (1) University City at 40th and Walnut Streets at the northwest corner of the University of Pennsylvania campus; (2) View of University City from the 34th Street bridge; (3) 40th and Chestnut Street; (4) Cira Centre (5) Walnut Street Bridge
University City
Coordinates: 39°57′13″N 75°11′55″W / 39.95361°N 75.19861°W / 39.95361; -75.19861
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyPhiladelphia County
CityPhiladelphia
Population
 (2014)
 • Total50,967[1]
ZIP Code
19104, 19139, and 19143
Area code(s)215, 267, and 445

The University of Pennsylvania was instrumental in coining the name University City as part of a 1950s urban renewal and gentrification effort.[2][3] University City is also home to Drexel University and the University City campus of Saint Joseph's University.

The eastern side of University City contains the Penn and Drexel campuses, several medical institutions, independent centers of scientific research, 30th Street Station, one of the nation's busiest passenger train stations, Cira Centre, and Cira Centre South. The western side contains Victorian and early 20th-century housing stock and is primarily residential.

Demographics edit

The University City neighborhood consists of 25,183 males and 25,783 females. The area population has grown 2.6% from 2000 to 2014 and 0.7% from 2010 to 2014. There are 32,935 white collar workers and 11,555 blue collar workers.[1]

The area is ethnically and economically diverse, although the compositions of its 12 census tracts vary widely; for example, the population in the mid-2000s of the easternmost tract was about half white and one-third Asian, while that of the northwesternmost tract was almost entirely black.[4]

History edit

Before the European colonization of the Americas, Philadelphia was home to the Lenape people, whose land, known as Lenapehoking, covered much of the Atlantic coast from western Connecticut to Delaware.

In 1677, William Warner purchased 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) from the local Indian tribe and named it Blockley after his native parish in England.[5] Blockley Township had a poor reputation in the 19th century. "It was an ideal hideout for shadowy characters and evil-doers who crossed the river in skiffs after a thieving or smuggling job south of the city. As late as 1850 it was considered hazardous to be abroad alone in this area."[6] The Blockley Almshouse, later known as Philadelphia General Hospital, was there. Though Blockley was founded five years before Philadelphia, people soon referred to it as "West Philadelphia".[7] Later, parts of Blockley were carved out to form the District of West Philadelphia.

In 1735, Andrew Hamilton, a "Philadelphia Lawyer", purchased 300 acres (1.2 km2) in Blockley Township. The area came to be known as Hamilton Village[8] and The Woodlands, a sprawling botanical garden and mansion, was built there. The gardens is now the Woodlands Cemetery, while much of the rest of Hamilton Village is covered by the 40th Street retail corridor.

A small section on the northern side of this area was once known as Greenville.[9] Situated near Lancaster Ave., Powelton Ave., and Market St., Greenville served as a waypoint for travelers and cattle drivers, and many taverns and inns were established. Later, the area expanded in all directions with many German immigrants and offered much more than simple taverns. By the mid-20th century, the Greenville area had changed again, to a neighborhood that was colloquially referred to as the Black Bottom, signifying the neighborhood's racial and economic status. Much of this neighborhood was destroyed as part of a gentrification plan in the 1960s.[10]

The arrival of electrified streetcars in the 1890s kick-started development to the west of 43rd Street, and bridges and a tunnel in the first decade of the 20th century allowed people to easily commute into Center City.[11] This led to rapid development within the borders of University City and far beyond. It was around this time that the "local" neighborhood names like Spruce Hill and Cedar Park[12] were established.

In the mid-1950s, two realtors and Penn graduates coined the name "University City" in an attempt to attract Penn faculty back to the neighborhoods near Penn.[3] The boundaries were defined as extending from the "Schuylkill River to 52nd Street, and from Haverford Avenue to the Media-line railroad tracks south of Kingsessing Avenue — though over the years many have viewed it as a smaller domain". This has led to some community tension; some saw it as an attempt to secede from West Philadelphia.[3]

Boundaries edit

University City's boundaries, as defined by the non-profit University City District organization and the City of Philadelphia, are the Schuylkill River to the east; Spring Garden Street, Powelton Avenue, and Market Street to the north; 52nd Street to the west; and Woodland Avenue, University Avenue, and Civic Center Boulevard to the south.[13][14][15] Within these boundaries are the local neighborhoods of Cedar Park, Garden Court, Spruce Hill, Squirrel Hill, Powelton Village, Walnut Hill, and Woodland Terrace. The boundaries also encompass several historic districts, including the West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District, and the ZIP codes 19104, 19139, and 19143.

Town–university relations edit

 
Rail bridge over Chestnut St., painted with Drexel's logo

University City has a history of strained town and gown relations,[16] particularly with the University of Pennsylvania ("Penn" for short), the city's largest private employer and the second-largest private employer in Pennsylvania. During the 1960s, Penn led a series of gentrification and redevelopment programs that have changed the character of the area.

Opened in 2001, the Penn Alexander is a neighborhood public elementary school which Penn helped to build and subsidizes. It is open to students inside a "catchment" defined by the School District of Philadelphia and Philadelphia City Council.[17] The Penn Mortgage program is a grant made by Penn to any of its staff towards the purchase of a home in West Philadelphia or to be used for the improvement of any staff that currently owns a home in West Philadelphia. The university is also an active participant in branding the area as "University City", with its logo showing up next to the name on signs and bridges (not including street signs directing to University City, which are erected by the city, state, and federal governments).

For decades, 40th Street was generally considered the "invisible campus boundary" between the residential neighborhoods to the west and the Penn campus to the east.[18] In recent years,[when?] the "Penn bubble" is said to have expanded further west.[19]

Major redevelopment projects edit

West Philadelphia Corporation edit

As part of the Housing Act of 1949, Congress established the "Slum Clearance and Community Development and Redevelopment" program, commissioning federal funds to "assist local communities in eliminating their slums and blighted areas and in providing the maximum opportunity for the redevelopment of project areas by private enterprise."[20] A few years prior, in 1945, the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia (RDA) was formed with the power to acquire and redevelop land through condemnation proceedings. This power to take land reached University City when The West Philadelphia Corporation (WPC) was formed in 1959 by a group of local institutions including Penn.[10][21] A 1965 map[22] shows the "units" identified for redevelopment.

Unit 3 edit

Unit 3, the largest of the identified areas, spanned roughly from 34th to 40th streets and North of Chestnut to Lancaster and Powelton streets,[22] covering most of the Black Bottom neighborhood. By 1965, the WPC had developed a plan to demolish homes in Unit 3 and redevelop the land into a center of private scientific research, an expanded hospital, and a large new high school. This particular development was covered in Penn's student newspaper by a five-part series called "The Quiet War" that ran from January 23 to January 27, 1967.[23]

Within four years, the University City Science Center had been established and most of the buildings on Market St. between 34th St. and 40th St. had been demolished.[24]

University City High School was opened in 1972, after years of planning by the WPC and the School District of Philadelphia and conflict with the displaced community.

Unit 4 edit

 
View of superblock from 40th St.

Much of what is now the center of Penn's campus, including Locust Walk and Superblock, was part of the redevelopment of Unit 4.[22]

Over the course of 1968 to 1970 and with the assistance of the local redevelopment authorities, Penn acquired, cleared and redeveloped the four-block area between 38th, 40th, Spruce, and Walnut streets. The primary features of this area, which became known as "Superblock", are three high-rise apartment-style dormitories.[25] The key purpose of creating these high-rises was to accommodate 3,500 more students at the university. The whole superblock project and especially the high-rise design were widely criticized,[26] but this view is not held by everyone.[27]

Other activity edit

WPC also guided several other redevelopments that directly benefited Penn and Drexel.[22] Project "A" was the plan to redevelop Units 1a, 1b and 2, the land between 32nd, 34th, Walnut and Chestnut. This resulted in Penn's Women's Dorm (now Hill House) and several Drexel buildings along Chestnut. Additional areas were carved out for Penn's Wharton and Annenberg schools and Physics department. Unit 5 was reserved for Drexel.

Schuylkill riverfront edit

Along the west bank of the Schuylkill River lie several large parcels of land that have historically seen large-scale non-residential use. As of the 1960s, the most prominent uses of this area were for Philadelphia's main train station, post office, and civic center. Since then, these and other nearby parcels have seen significant redevelopment.

Rail yards edit

Of particular interest for redevelopment have been the large rail yards near 30th St. Station, now owned by Amtrak. Several plans were made to cover and build over this area. As of 2015, most of these plans, including a baseball stadium[28] and grounds for a World's fair[29] have been scrapped, but a new plan called "30th Street Station District" is in the works.[30] The Schuylkill Yards project is also in this area.

A small part of this area was used to build the Cira Centre, a 29-story, crystal-shaped office tower with distinctive LED lighting visible at night.

Civic Center complex edit

Beginning in 1991, Penn publicly expressed official interest in acquiring the 19.2 acres (78,000 m2) to the southeast of its campus occupied by the Philadelphia Civic Center complex. After the opening of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in 1992, the Civic Center was mostly unused. In 1998, a City Council resolution was put forth to turn over much of this property to Penn and CHOP.[31] The initial plans were not fully developed, but did not call for the demolition of Convention Hall, the location of several historic events.[32] By 2005, plans had been expanded and the whole site, including Convention Hall, was slated for demolition to make way for a new clinical care facility attached to the hospital. Many local preservationists were opposed to this.[33] Some were mollified by an exhaustive study commissioned by Penn to find alternate uses for the buildings and demolition continued.[34] The last remaining building in the complex, Pennsylvania Hall, was demolished on March 3, 2007.[35] Penn's Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine was officially opened on October 2, 2008.[36]

Postal lands edit

 
Cira Center South

In 2007, Penn bought 24 acres (97,000 m2) between its campus and the Schuylkill river, an area formerly occupied by the United States Postal Service known as the Postal Lands. (A 1994 map[37] shows the area before the GE building was refurbished into the Left Bank and the Cira Centre was built.[38]) Penn repurposed the Postal Lands into a new high-rise office and residential complex, Cira Centre South, and a public park with University athletic facilities, Penn Park. In addition, the former post office building has been turned into office space for the IRS.

Penn Park opened in September 2011 as a new urban park that stretches from Walnut Street to South Street featuring a fabric of tightly interwoven recreational and athletic components. The project also includes underground cisterns that collect and repurpose rainwater.

Cira Centre South was developed by Brandywine Realty Trust and completed in 2016.[39][40][41] Two new towers replaced a one-time truck annex for the Post Office and now include the headquarters for the FMC Corp., a parking garage with a green roof open to the public, an apartment building, and street-level retail. [42][43] The 49-story FMC Tower in this complex is the tallest building in University City.

University City District edit

 
UCD bike patrol

University City District (UCD) is the name of a private, non-profit organization created by the University of Pennsylvania and other local institutions in 1997 in an effort to provide University City with additional safety, cleanup, and marketing services as well as help in coordinating district initiatives.[44]

UCD demographics report edit

In 2007, the University City District released a new edition of its University City Report Card, based on 2006 demographic statistics.[45]

The report said the area had 45,787 people living in 16,625 households, 29% of which are classified as "family" households and the rest as "non-family". The average household size was two people, whose median age was 23.8 years. Median household income was $23,749; median "family" household income was $40,042. 8.1% of households had incomes of $100,000 or more and 35.2% had incomes of less than $15,000. The racial makeup of University City was about 42% Black, 35% White, 18% Asian/Pacific Islander, 4% Hispanic, with the remainder not classified.

The report said local businesses employed 63,878, with educational services employing 53.1% of them and health care services 21%. The largest employers were Penn, with 13,239 employees; Penn Health, 11,136; CHOP, 6,855; Drexel-Main, 2,706; AMTRAK, 2,551; and the VA, 2,100.

The median price of homes purchased in 2006 was $312,000, up 22% from 2005. The average monthly rent for a studio apartment was $667; a one-bedroom apartment, $823; and a two-bedroom apartment, $1,174.

Local institutions edit

 
Main Building, Drexel, c. 1892
 
CHOP, 2006
 
Wistar Institute, 2006
 
A-Space, 2007
 
Free Library of Philadelphia, Walnut Street West Branch, 2010
 
Penn Alexander public elementary school, 2016

Higher education edit

Sorted by number of students in 2006:[46]

Medical edit

Scientific edit

Not including the scientific departments of the local universities

Cultural edit

Charitable edit

Legal edit

Primary and secondary education edit

Transportation edit

 
A SEPTA Subway-Surface trolley on Baltimore Ave. (US-13) at 48th St.

With its compact development and high proportion of students, many people can and do walk and bicycle around, to, and from University City. Additionally, multiple highway, rail, and bus routes pass through University City, including major intercity and regional routes.

Road edit

The most prominent highway through the region is the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76). I-676 from New Jersey and Center City Philadelphia terminates in University City at I-76. US-30 follows I-76 and I-676. US-13 and PA-3 follow local streets. Of historical note are the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike and Baltimore Pike, now known as Lancaster Ave and Baltimore Ave. Additionally, Philadelphia's historic Market Street runs through the area, where it is known as the Avenue of Technology.

There are several bus lines that serve University City. SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 21, 30, 40, 42, 78 are active here, as is LUCY, the "Loop through University CitY". Regional bus operators Megabus and BoltBus offer service from near 30th & JFK to NYC.

Rail edit

The area is served by four distinct types of passenger rail transportation: intercity, regional, metro, and trolley.

Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and Keystone Corridor intercity routes, as well as all of the SEPTA Regional Rail routes and NJT's Atlantic City Line, include a stop at 30th Street Station. SEPTA's Market–Frankford Line (MFL, also known as "the El") and Subway–Surface Trolley Lines stop at the adjacent 30th Street subway station.

There are also several other SEPTA stations in University City, including two more Regional Rail stations: Penn Medicine and 49th St; three more MFL stations: 34th St., 40th St. and 46th St.; three more underground trolley stations: 33rd St., 36th St., 37th St.; and two trolley portals: 36th St. and 40th St. West of the portals, the trolleys run on the streets.

An elevated freight line also runs above 31st Street, with connections to several other lines at the Zoo and Arsenal Interlockings, to the north and south, respectively.

Government representation edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "University City Population". from the original on May 23, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  2. ^ . uchs.net. Archived from the original on February 19, 2001. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "The Pennsylvania Gazette: The West Philadelphia Story". upenn.edu. from the original on February 20, 1999. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  4. ^ "Mapping America -- Every City, Every Block". The New York Times. December 13, 2010. from the original on April 20, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  5. ^ "UCHS: Early history of The Area". from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
  6. ^ "Blockley". UCHS.net. from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  7. ^ . UCHSnet. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  8. ^ "Hamilton Village". UCHS.net. from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  9. ^ . UCHS.net. Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "The Corporation". UCHS.net. from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  11. ^ . Studio 34: Yoga Healing Arts. 2008. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  12. ^ . Cedar Park Neighbors. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  13. ^ UCD: Boundary map of University City. July 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ UCD: Description of University City's boundaries. February 13, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Philadelphia Neighborhoods". Phila.gov. from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  16. ^ "The Daily Pennsylvanian :: A fresh coat of paint goes a long way". TheDP.com. from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  17. ^ . Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2008.
  18. ^ "Gazette - Feature: The Rodin Years". upenn.edu. April 27, 2004. from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  19. ^ DP: University City Blues: Meet the often-overlooked West Philadelphians who make life at Penn possible.[dead link]
  20. ^ "A History of the University City Science Center: Part 1, University of Pennsylvania University Archives". UPenn.edu. from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  21. ^ "A History of the University City Science Center: Part 2, University of Pennsylvania University Archives". upenn.edu. from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  22. ^ a b c d "University City Map, 1965, University City Science Center". UPenn.edu. from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  23. ^ "Search — Daily Pennsylvanian Digital Archives". VeridianSoftware.com. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  24. ^ "A History of the University City Science Center: Part 3, University of Pennsylvania University Archives". UPenn.edu. from the original on April 23, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  25. ^ "The Pennsylvania Gazette: Sep/Oct Voices from the Undergrad". The Pennsylvania Gazette. from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  26. ^ "Getting past a bad precedent". The Daily Pennsylvanian. October 13, 1998. Retrieved November 21, 2016.[permanent dead link]
  27. ^ "Pennsylvania Gazette J/F: Letters". UPenn.edu. from the original on January 15, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  28. ^ "Archives - Philly.com". Philly.com. from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  29. ^ "The City that Might Have Been: Edmund Bacon's Philadelphia". PhillyHistory.org. October 19, 2010. from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  30. ^ "Home". PhillyDistrict30.com. from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  31. ^ "Oh, Four Oh Four". DailyPennsylvanian.com. Retrieved April 11, 2015.[permanent dead link]
  32. ^ "Oh, Four Oh Four". DailyPennsylvanian.com. Retrieved April 11, 2015.[permanent dead link]
  33. ^ "Ad hoc group is fighting Convention Hall demolition". Philadelphia Business Journal. from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  34. ^ "Oh, Four Oh Four". DailyPennsylvanian.com. Retrieved April 11, 2015.[permanent dead link]
  35. ^ Pennsylvania Hall Implosion. YouTube. March 4, 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  36. ^ Perelman Center construction timeline December 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ This 1994 map September 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  38. ^ PP: Schuylkill West Bank Map from 1994 redevelopment plan. September 3, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  39. ^ "Work at Cira Centre South starts". Philadelphia Business Journal. from the original on December 31, 2007. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  40. ^ Penn's official site for Cira Centre South October 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  41. ^ "Credit crisis postpones work on Cira 2". The Daily Pennsylvanian. from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  42. ^ "Entrepreneur - Start, run and grow your business". Entrepreneur. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  43. ^ "Oh, Four Oh Four". dailypennsylvanian.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2007. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  44. ^ UCD: District programs April 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  45. ^ UCD: University City Report Card 2007 February 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  46. ^ UCD: University City Report Card 2007: School populations, p. 11/40 February 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  47. ^ "Kingsessing and Maylandville". UCHS.net. from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  48. ^ "03/30/10, At the Former Philadelphia Divinity School Site: Discovering Inspiration from the Past and Creating Spaces to Learn and Grow - Almanac, Vol. 56, No. 27". UPenn.edu. from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  49. ^ "PCO yearbook from 1942 p. 123". from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  50. ^ "History". PCOM.edu. from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  51. ^ "Phila.gov Public Health (Medical Examiner's Office". from the original on July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  52. ^ Walnut Street West Branch October 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Free Library of Philadelphia. Retrieved on October 19, 2012.

External links edit

  • University City District Official website for non-profit organization.
  • WestPhillyNews.org West Philly News - Local news and information. Home of the West Philly Forum, a community bulletin board (CBB).
  • WestPhillyLocal.com West Philly Local - A local, independent website that covers West Philadelphia and University City.
  • University City Historical District - history of the area now known as West Philadelphia
  • Photos of the Area
  • - from the Penn Library's InfoResources project.

Historical edit

  • University City Historical Society (UCHS) - Local history organization.
    • Map of historical districts in West Philadelphia
  • University of Pennsylvania Archives (UPA) - University Archives and Record Center.
  • neighborhoodBase from Penn's Cartographic Modeling Laboratory.
  • - The Plan for West Philadelphia, 1994.

university, city, philadelphia, university, city, easternmost, portion, west, philadelphia, encompassing, several, philadelphia, universities, situated, directly, across, schuylkill, river, from, center, city, university, cityneighborhood, philadelphiafrom, le. University City is the easternmost portion of West Philadelphia encompassing several Philadelphia universities It is situated directly across the Schuylkill River from Center City University CityNeighborhood of PhiladelphiaFrom top left 1 University City at 40th and Walnut Streets at the northwest corner of the University of Pennsylvania campus 2 View of University City from the 34th Street bridge 3 40th and Chestnut Street 4 Cira Centre 5 Walnut Street BridgeUniversity CityCoordinates 39 57 13 N 75 11 55 W 39 95361 N 75 19861 W 39 95361 75 19861CountryUnited StatesStatePennsylvaniaCountyPhiladelphia CountyCityPhiladelphiaPopulation 2014 Total50 967 1 ZIP Code19104 19139 and 19143Area code s 215 267 and 445The University of Pennsylvania was instrumental in coining the name University City as part of a 1950s urban renewal and gentrification effort 2 3 University City is also home to Drexel University and the University City campus of Saint Joseph s University The eastern side of University City contains the Penn and Drexel campuses several medical institutions independent centers of scientific research 30th Street Station one of the nation s busiest passenger train stations Cira Centre and Cira Centre South The western side contains Victorian and early 20th century housing stock and is primarily residential Contents 1 Demographics 2 History 3 Boundaries 4 Town university relations 5 Major redevelopment projects 5 1 West Philadelphia Corporation 5 1 1 Unit 3 5 1 2 Unit 4 5 1 3 Other activity 5 2 Schuylkill riverfront 5 2 1 Rail yards 5 2 2 Civic Center complex 5 2 3 Postal lands 6 University City District 6 1 UCD demographics report 7 Local institutions 7 1 Higher education 7 2 Medical 7 3 Scientific 7 4 Cultural 7 5 Charitable 7 6 Legal 7 7 Primary and secondary education 8 Transportation 8 1 Road 8 2 Rail 9 Government representation 10 See also 11 References 12 External links 12 1 HistoricalDemographics editThe University City neighborhood consists of 25 183 males and 25 783 females The area population has grown 2 6 from 2000 to 2014 and 0 7 from 2010 to 2014 There are 32 935 white collar workers and 11 555 blue collar workers 1 The area is ethnically and economically diverse although the compositions of its 12 census tracts vary widely for example the population in the mid 2000s of the easternmost tract was about half white and one third Asian while that of the northwesternmost tract was almost entirely black 4 History editBefore the European colonization of the Americas Philadelphia was home to the Lenape people whose land known as Lenapehoking covered much of the Atlantic coast from western Connecticut to Delaware In 1677 William Warner purchased 1 500 acres 6 1 km2 from the local Indian tribe and named it Blockley after his native parish in England 5 Blockley Township had a poor reputation in the 19th century It was an ideal hideout for shadowy characters and evil doers who crossed the river in skiffs after a thieving or smuggling job south of the city As late as 1850 it was considered hazardous to be abroad alone in this area 6 The Blockley Almshouse later known as Philadelphia General Hospital was there Though Blockley was founded five years before Philadelphia people soon referred to it as West Philadelphia 7 Later parts of Blockley were carved out to form the District of West Philadelphia In 1735 Andrew Hamilton a Philadelphia Lawyer purchased 300 acres 1 2 km2 in Blockley Township The area came to be known as Hamilton Village 8 and The Woodlands a sprawling botanical garden and mansion was built there The gardens is now the Woodlands Cemetery while much of the rest of Hamilton Village is covered by the 40th Street retail corridor A small section on the northern side of this area was once known as Greenville 9 Situated near Lancaster Ave Powelton Ave and Market St Greenville served as a waypoint for travelers and cattle drivers and many taverns and inns were established Later the area expanded in all directions with many German immigrants and offered much more than simple taverns By the mid 20th century the Greenville area had changed again to a neighborhood that was colloquially referred to as the Black Bottom signifying the neighborhood s racial and economic status Much of this neighborhood was destroyed as part of a gentrification plan in the 1960s 10 The arrival of electrified streetcars in the 1890s kick started development to the west of 43rd Street and bridges and a tunnel in the first decade of the 20th century allowed people to easily commute into Center City 11 This led to rapid development within the borders of University City and far beyond It was around this time that the local neighborhood names like Spruce Hill and Cedar Park 12 were established In the mid 1950s two realtors and Penn graduates coined the name University City in an attempt to attract Penn faculty back to the neighborhoods near Penn 3 The boundaries were defined as extending from the Schuylkill River to 52nd Street and from Haverford Avenue to the Media line railroad tracks south of Kingsessing Avenue though over the years many have viewed it as a smaller domain This has led to some community tension some saw it as an attempt to secede from West Philadelphia 3 Boundaries editUniversity City s boundaries as defined by the non profit University City District organization and the City of Philadelphia are the Schuylkill River to the east Spring Garden Street Powelton Avenue and Market Street to the north 52nd Street to the west and Woodland Avenue University Avenue and Civic Center Boulevard to the south 13 14 15 Within these boundaries are the local neighborhoods of Cedar Park Garden Court Spruce Hill Squirrel Hill Powelton Village Walnut Hill and Woodland Terrace The boundaries also encompass several historic districts including the West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District and the ZIP codes 19104 19139 and 19143 nbsp Homes in Cedar Park nbsp Homes in Garden Court nbsp Homes in Powelton Village nbsp Homes in Woodland TerraceTown university relations edit nbsp Rail bridge over Chestnut St painted with Drexel s logoUniversity City has a history of strained town and gown relations 16 particularly with the University of Pennsylvania Penn for short the city s largest private employer and the second largest private employer in Pennsylvania During the 1960s Penn led a series of gentrification and redevelopment programs that have changed the character of the area Opened in 2001 the Penn Alexander is a neighborhood public elementary school which Penn helped to build and subsidizes It is open to students inside a catchment defined by the School District of Philadelphia and Philadelphia City Council 17 The Penn Mortgage program is a grant made by Penn to any of its staff towards the purchase of a home in West Philadelphia or to be used for the improvement of any staff that currently owns a home in West Philadelphia The university is also an active participant in branding the area as University City with its logo showing up next to the name on signs and bridges not including street signs directing to University City which are erected by the city state and federal governments For decades 40th Street was generally considered the invisible campus boundary between the residential neighborhoods to the west and the Penn campus to the east 18 In recent years when the Penn bubble is said to have expanded further west 19 Major redevelopment projects editWest Philadelphia Corporation edit As part of the Housing Act of 1949 Congress established the Slum Clearance and Community Development and Redevelopment program commissioning federal funds to assist local communities in eliminating their slums and blighted areas and in providing the maximum opportunity for the redevelopment of project areas by private enterprise 20 A few years prior in 1945 the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia RDA was formed with the power to acquire and redevelop land through condemnation proceedings This power to take land reached University City when The West Philadelphia Corporation WPC was formed in 1959 by a group of local institutions including Penn 10 21 A 1965 map 22 shows the units identified for redevelopment Unit 3 edit Unit 3 the largest of the identified areas spanned roughly from 34th to 40th streets and North of Chestnut to Lancaster and Powelton streets 22 covering most of the Black Bottom neighborhood By 1965 the WPC had developed a plan to demolish homes in Unit 3 and redevelop the land into a center of private scientific research an expanded hospital and a large new high school This particular development was covered in Penn s student newspaper by a five part series called The Quiet War that ran from January 23 to January 27 1967 23 Within four years the University City Science Center had been established and most of the buildings on Market St between 34th St and 40th St had been demolished 24 University City High School was opened in 1972 after years of planning by the WPC and the School District of Philadelphia and conflict with the displaced community Unit 4 edit nbsp View of superblock from 40th St Much of what is now the center of Penn s campus including Locust Walk and Superblock was part of the redevelopment of Unit 4 22 Over the course of 1968 to 1970 and with the assistance of the local redevelopment authorities Penn acquired cleared and redeveloped the four block area between 38th 40th Spruce and Walnut streets The primary features of this area which became known as Superblock are three high rise apartment style dormitories 25 The key purpose of creating these high rises was to accommodate 3 500 more students at the university The whole superblock project and especially the high rise design were widely criticized 26 but this view is not held by everyone 27 Other activity edit WPC also guided several other redevelopments that directly benefited Penn and Drexel 22 Project A was the plan to redevelop Units 1a 1b and 2 the land between 32nd 34th Walnut and Chestnut This resulted in Penn s Women s Dorm now Hill House and several Drexel buildings along Chestnut Additional areas were carved out for Penn s Wharton and Annenberg schools and Physics department Unit 5 was reserved for Drexel Schuylkill riverfront edit Along the west bank of the Schuylkill River lie several large parcels of land that have historically seen large scale non residential use As of the 1960s the most prominent uses of this area were for Philadelphia s main train station post office and civic center Since then these and other nearby parcels have seen significant redevelopment Rail yards edit Of particular interest for redevelopment have been the large rail yards near 30th St Station now owned by Amtrak Several plans were made to cover and build over this area As of 2015 most of these plans including a baseball stadium 28 and grounds for a World s fair 29 have been scrapped but a new plan called 30th Street Station District is in the works 30 The Schuylkill Yards project is also in this area A small part of this area was used to build the Cira Centre a 29 story crystal shaped office tower with distinctive LED lighting visible at night Civic Center complex edit Beginning in 1991 Penn publicly expressed official interest in acquiring the 19 2 acres 78 000 m2 to the southeast of its campus occupied by the Philadelphia Civic Center complex After the opening of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in 1992 the Civic Center was mostly unused In 1998 a City Council resolution was put forth to turn over much of this property to Penn and CHOP 31 The initial plans were not fully developed but did not call for the demolition of Convention Hall the location of several historic events 32 By 2005 plans had been expanded and the whole site including Convention Hall was slated for demolition to make way for a new clinical care facility attached to the hospital Many local preservationists were opposed to this 33 Some were mollified by an exhaustive study commissioned by Penn to find alternate uses for the buildings and demolition continued 34 The last remaining building in the complex Pennsylvania Hall was demolished on March 3 2007 35 Penn s Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine was officially opened on October 2 2008 36 Postal lands edit nbsp Cira Center SouthIn 2007 Penn bought 24 acres 97 000 m2 between its campus and the Schuylkill river an area formerly occupied by the United States Postal Service known as the Postal Lands A 1994 map 37 shows the area before the GE building was refurbished into the Left Bank and the Cira Centre was built 38 Penn repurposed the Postal Lands into a new high rise office and residential complex Cira Centre South and a public park with University athletic facilities Penn Park In addition the former post office building has been turned into office space for the IRS Penn Park opened in September 2011 as a new urban park that stretches from Walnut Street to South Street featuring a fabric of tightly interwoven recreational and athletic components The project also includes underground cisterns that collect and repurpose rainwater Cira Centre South was developed by Brandywine Realty Trust and completed in 2016 39 40 41 Two new towers replaced a one time truck annex for the Post Office and now include the headquarters for the FMC Corp a parking garage with a green roof open to the public an apartment building and street level retail 42 43 The 49 story FMC Tower in this complex is the tallest building in University City University City District edit nbsp UCD bike patrolUniversity City District UCD is the name of a private non profit organization created by the University of Pennsylvania and other local institutions in 1997 in an effort to provide University City with additional safety cleanup and marketing services as well as help in coordinating district initiatives 44 UCD demographics report edit In 2007 the University City District released a new edition of its University City Report Card based on 2006 demographic statistics 45 The report said the area had 45 787 people living in 16 625 households 29 of which are classified as family households and the rest as non family The average household size was two people whose median age was 23 8 years Median household income was 23 749 median family household income was 40 042 8 1 of households had incomes of 100 000 or more and 35 2 had incomes of less than 15 000 The racial makeup of University City was about 42 Black 35 White 18 Asian Pacific Islander 4 Hispanic with the remainder not classified The report said local businesses employed 63 878 with educational services employing 53 1 of them and health care services 21 The largest employers were Penn with 13 239 employees Penn Health 11 136 CHOP 6 855 Drexel Main 2 706 AMTRAK 2 551 and the VA 2 100 The median price of homes purchased in 2006 was 312 000 up 22 from 2005 The average monthly rent for a studio apartment was 667 a one bedroom apartment 823 and a two bedroom apartment 1 174 Local institutions edit nbsp Main Building Drexel c 1892 nbsp CHOP 2006 nbsp Wistar Institute 2006 nbsp A Space 2007 nbsp Free Library of Philadelphia Walnut Street West Branch 2010 nbsp Penn Alexander public elementary school 2016Higher education edit Sorted by number of students in 2006 46 University of Pennsylvania 23 704 Founded in 1740 moved to current location in 1872 Drexel University Main Campus 18 466 Founded in 1891 at current location University City campus of Saint Joseph s University formerly the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia 3 008 Founded in 1821 moved to current location in 1928 47 Community College of Philadelphia West Regional Center 748 Founded in 1965 West campus established in 1985 Lincoln University School of Adult amp Continuing Education 596 Main campus in Chester County founded in 1854 University City location opened in 1976 The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College 535 Founded in 1974 moved to current location in 1992 Philadelphia Divinity School 0 Founded in 1858 built campus at 42nd and Spruce in 1921 48 left neighborhood in 1974 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine 0 Founded in 1899 built campus at 48th and Spruce in 1929 49 left neighborhood in 1977 50 Middle States Commission on Higher Education 0 Accreditation authority not a school Medical edit Children s Hospital of Philadelphia CHOP Children s hospital Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania HUP General hospital Penn Presbyterian Medical Center Presby General hospital VA Medical Center Philadelphia The VA Veterans hospital Philadelphia Medical Examiner s Office 51 National Board of Medical Examiners Co sponsor of the USMLEScientific edit Not including the scientific departments of the local universities Monell Chemical Senses Center Leader in research on smell and taste University City Science Center Focuses on commercialization Wistar Institute Leader in research on the causes and cures of disease Cultural edit A Space an anarchist community center Free Library of Philadelphia Walnut Street West Branch 52 Philadanco a professional dance company University of Pennsylvania institutions include Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts theaters for professional and student productions Institute of Contemporary Art Philadelphia Penn s modern art museum University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology also called The Penn Museum Charitable edit Neighborhood Bike Works Donates bicycles and helmets to local kids Offers training in bicycle repair Philadelphia Elwyn Care for the mentally disabled Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House A home away from home for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals Legal edit American Law Institute Provides Restatements of the Law Dechert Large Philadelphia law firmPrimary and secondary education edit Public School District of Philadelphia Henry C Lea School K 8 47th and Locust St Middle Years Alternative amp Parkway School 6 12 49th and Chestnut St Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of Pennsylvania Partnership School K 8 42nd and Locust St Samuel Powel School K 4 36th and Powelton Ave West Philadelphia High School 9 12 48th and Chestnut St Private Christ Memorial Day School K 6 43rd and Chestnut St HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy ages 2 21 4400 Baltimore Ave Jubilee School pre K 6 42nd and Chester Ave Spruce Hill Christian School K 8 42nd and Baltimore Ave St Francis de Sales School 1 8 912 S 47th St West Philadelphia Catholic High School 9 12 45th and Chestnut St Transportation editMain article West Philadelphia Transportation nbsp A SEPTA Subway Surface trolley on Baltimore Ave US 13 at 48th St With its compact development and high proportion of students many people can and do walk and bicycle around to and from University City Additionally multiple highway rail and bus routes pass through University City including major intercity and regional routes Road edit The most prominent highway through the region is the Schuylkill Expressway I 76 I 676 from New Jersey and Center City Philadelphia terminates in University City at I 76 US 30 follows I 76 and I 676 US 13 and PA 3 follow local streets Of historical note are the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike and Baltimore Pike now known as Lancaster Ave and Baltimore Ave Additionally Philadelphia s historic Market Street runs through the area where it is known as the Avenue of Technology There are several bus lines that serve University City SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes 21 30 40 42 78 are active here as is LUCY the Loop through University CitY Regional bus operators Megabus and BoltBus offer service from near 30th amp JFK to NYC Rail edit The area is served by four distinct types of passenger rail transportation intercity regional metro and trolley Amtrak s Northeast Corridor and Keystone Corridor intercity routes as well as all of the SEPTA Regional Rail routes and NJT s Atlantic City Line include a stop at 30th Street Station SEPTA s Market Frankford Line MFL also known as the El and Subway Surface Trolley Lines stop at the adjacent 30th Street subway station There are also several other SEPTA stations in University City including two more Regional Rail stations Penn Medicine and 49th St three more MFL stations 34th St 40th St and 46th St three more underground trolley stations 33rd St 36th St 37th St and two trolley portals 36th St and 40th St West of the portals the trolleys run on the streets An elevated freight line also runs above 31st Street with connections to several other lines at the Zoo and Arsenal Interlockings to the north and south respectively Government representation editMain article Philadelphia Law and government Legislative body District Representative Serving sincePhiladelphia City Council 3rd Jamie Gauthier 2019Pennsylvania State Senate 8th Anthony H Williams 1998Pennsylvania House of Representatives 188th Rick Krajewski 2021United States House of Representatives PA 3 Dwight Evans 2018United States Senate PA Bob Casey Jr 2007John Fetterman 2023Executive position Incumbent Serving sinceMayor of Philadelphia Jim Kenney 2016Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro 2023President of the United States Joe Biden 2021See also edit nbsp Philadelphia portal nbsp Pennsylvania portalTempletown Philadelphia North Philadelphia neighborhood surrounding Temple University University Park Pennsylvania The Penn State University campus in central PennsylvaniaReferences edit a b University City Population Archived from the original on May 23 2020 Retrieved August 27 2018 The Corporation uchs net Archived from the original on February 19 2001 Retrieved April 11 2015 a b c The Pennsylvania Gazette The West Philadelphia Story upenn edu Archived from the original on February 20 1999 Retrieved April 11 2015 Mapping America Every City Every Block The New York Times December 13 2010 Archived from the original on April 20 2015 Retrieved August 27 2012 UCHS Early history of The Area Archived from the original on June 11 2007 Retrieved May 22 2007 Blockley UCHS net Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved April 11 2015 West Philadelphia UCHSnet Archived from the original on November 17 2019 Retrieved March 13 2017 Hamilton Village UCHS net Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved April 11 2015 Greenville UCHS net Archived from the original on September 8 2021 Retrieved April 11 2015 a b The Corporation UCHS net Archived from the original on December 19 2015 Retrieved April 11 2015 Studio 34 s Eponymous Trolley or A Short History of Route 34 Studio 34 Yoga Healing Arts 2008 Archived from the original on December 9 2013 Retrieved March 11 2008 History Cedar Park Neighbors Archived from the original on March 18 2015 Retrieved April 11 2015 UCD Boundary map of University City Archived July 10 2007 at the Wayback Machine UCD Description of University City s boundaries Archived February 13 2008 at the Wayback Machine Philadelphia Neighborhoods Phila gov Archived from the original on February 25 2015 Retrieved April 11 2015 The Daily Pennsylvanian A fresh coat of paint goes a long way TheDP com Archived from the original on January 10 2016 Retrieved April 11 2015 Penn West Philly Improving Public Education Archived from the original on December 7 2008 Retrieved October 7 2008 Gazette Feature The Rodin Years upenn edu April 27 2004 Archived from the original on September 9 2015 Retrieved April 11 2015 DP University City Blues Meet the often overlooked West Philadelphians who make life at Penn possible dead link A History of the University City Science Center Part 1 University of Pennsylvania University Archives UPenn edu Archived from the original on September 7 2015 Retrieved April 11 2015 A History of the University City Science Center Part 2 University of Pennsylvania University Archives upenn edu Archived from the original on September 7 2015 Retrieved April 11 2015 a b c d University City Map 1965 University City Science Center UPenn edu Archived from the original on August 22 2017 Retrieved March 13 2017 Search Daily Pennsylvanian Digital Archives VeridianSoftware com Retrieved March 13 2017 A History of the University City Science Center Part 3 University of Pennsylvania University Archives UPenn edu Archived from the original on April 23 2017 Retrieved March 13 2017 The Pennsylvania Gazette Sep Oct Voices from the Undergrad The Pennsylvania Gazette Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved November 21 2016 Getting past a bad precedent The Daily Pennsylvanian October 13 1998 Retrieved November 21 2016 permanent dead link Pennsylvania Gazette J F Letters UPenn edu Archived from the original on January 15 2016 Retrieved March 13 2017 Archives Philly com Philly com Archived from the original on April 8 2016 Retrieved March 13 2017 The City that Might Have Been Edmund Bacon s Philadelphia PhillyHistory org October 19 2010 Archived from the original on July 11 2017 Retrieved March 13 2017 Home PhillyDistrict30 com Archived from the original on March 20 2017 Retrieved March 13 2017 Oh Four Oh Four DailyPennsylvanian com Retrieved April 11 2015 permanent dead link Oh Four Oh Four DailyPennsylvanian com Retrieved April 11 2015 permanent dead link Ad hoc group is fighting Convention Hall demolition Philadelphia Business Journal Archived from the original on March 14 2017 Retrieved April 11 2015 Oh Four Oh Four DailyPennsylvanian com Retrieved April 11 2015 permanent dead link Pennsylvania Hall Implosion YouTube March 4 2007 Archived from the original on December 12 2021 Retrieved April 11 2015 Perelman Center construction timeline Archived December 7 2009 at the Wayback Machine This 1994 map Archived September 3 2006 at the Wayback Machine PP Schuylkill West Bank Map from 1994 redevelopment plan Archived September 3 2006 at the Wayback Machine Work at Cira Centre South starts Philadelphia Business Journal Archived from the original on December 31 2007 Retrieved April 11 2015 Penn s official site for Cira Centre South Archived October 29 2007 at the Wayback Machine Credit crisis postpones work on Cira 2 The Daily Pennsylvanian Archived from the original on January 17 2022 Retrieved January 17 2022 Entrepreneur Start run and grow your business Entrepreneur Retrieved April 11 2015 Oh Four Oh Four dailypennsylvanian com Archived from the original on May 14 2007 Retrieved April 11 2015 UCD District programs Archived April 18 2008 at the Wayback Machine UCD University City Report Card 2007 Archived February 28 2008 at the Wayback Machine UCD University City Report Card 2007 School populations p 11 40 Archived February 28 2008 at the Wayback Machine Kingsessing and Maylandville UCHS net Archived from the original on May 9 2015 Retrieved April 11 2015 03 30 10 At the Former Philadelphia Divinity School Site Discovering Inspiration from the Past and Creating Spaces to Learn and Grow Almanac Vol 56 No 27 UPenn edu Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved March 13 2017 PCO yearbook from 1942 p 123 Archived from the original on June 2 2015 Retrieved June 1 2015 History PCOM edu Archived from the original on September 24 2015 Retrieved March 13 2017 Phila gov Public Health Medical Examiner s Office Archived from the original on July 26 2017 Retrieved July 24 2017 Walnut Street West Branch Archived October 20 2012 at the Wayback Machine Free Library of Philadelphia Retrieved on October 19 2012 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to University City Philadelphia This article s use of external links may not follow Wikipedia s policies or guidelines Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references March 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message University City District Official website for non profit organization WestPhillyNews org West Philly News Local news and information Home of the West Philly Forum a community bulletin board CBB WestPhillyLocal com West Philly Local A local independent website that covers West Philadelphia and University City University City Historical District history of the area now known as West Philadelphia Philadelphia Weekly Article Recounting University City s Recent History Including Changes in the Penn Community Relationship PW Sept 2006 Photo tour of University City Photos of the Area Neighborhood Profile from the Penn Library s InfoResources project Historical edit University City Historical Society UCHS Local history organization Map of historical districts in West Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Archives UPA University Archives and Record Center neighborhoodBase from Penn s Cartographic Modeling Laboratory Penn Partners PP The Plan for West Philadelphia 1994 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title University City Philadelphia amp oldid 1191129788, wikipedia, wiki, 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