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University City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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University City is the name given to an area of campuses and neighborhoods in West Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its boundaries, as defined by the non-profit University City District organization, are: the Schuylkill River to the east; Spring Garden Street, Powelton Avenue, and Market Street to the north; Civic Center Boulevard, University Avenue and Woodland Avenue to the south; and 52nd Street to the west. These boundaries encompass the neighborhoods of Cedar Park, Garden Court, Spruce Hill, Squirrel Hill, Powelton Village, Walnut Hill, and Woodland Terrace. The boundaries also encompass several historic districts (view map) and the zip codes 19104, 19139, and 19143.

The name University City was coined in the mid-1950s in an effort to encourage University of Pennsylvania faculty to move into the nearby neighborhoods as part of an urban-renewal effort. At that time, Penn was the only university in the area, but the name now reflects the proximity of other institutions of higher education, including Drexel University (formerly the Drexel Institute of Technology) and the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (formerly the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy), and Lincoln University, PA Graduate Center (now know as Lincoln University Plaza). The eastern area of University City is home to the Penn and Drexel campuses, several medical institutions (including the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia), independent centers of scientific research, 30th Street Station, and the Cira Centre. The western area, with its Victorian and early 20th century housing stock, is primarily residential and is home to a diverse population.

Names of the region

Blockley is one of the earliest names applied to this region. In 1677, William Warner, purchased 1,500 acres from the local Indian tribe and named the area. Blockley Township did not have a great reputation in 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." The Blockley Almshouse, later known as Philadelphia General Hospital, was located here. Philadelphia proper was actually founded 5 years after Blockley, but its influence was quickly felt. People soon started calling the Township of Blockley by the made up name West Philadelphia. Later, parts of Blockley were carved out to form the District of West Philadelphia.

In 1735, Andrew Hamilton, a "Philadelphia Lawyer", purchased 300 acres of land within Blockley Township. This area came to be known as Hamilton Village and The Woodlands, a sprawling botanical garden and mansion were built here. The gardens is now the Woodlands Cemetery. Much of the rest of Hamilton Village is now covered by the 40th St. retail corridor.

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

The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a time of enormous growth in the area. The arrival of electrified streetcars in the 1890s kickstarted 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. 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 were established.

In the mid-1950s, the name University City was coined as a marketing tool by two realtors (former Penn graduates) in an attempt to attract Penn faculty back to the neighborhoods near Penn. 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.

University City District

University City is not to be confused with the University City District (UCD). University City is the name of the area of neighborhoods and campuses, while University City District is the name of a private, non-profit organization created by the University of Pennsylvania and other large institutions in 1997 in an effort to provide the area with additional safety and cleanup services.

The UCD has been criticized for its director's involvement in the Philadelphia mayoral election, 2007 and recent crimes committed by one of its employees.

Town and gown

University City has a history of strained town and gown relations, particularly with Penn. Since the 1960s, Penn has led a series of gentrification and redevelopment programs that have changed the character of the area. Some locals call this "Penntrification" or "McPenntrification" as it seems to only benefit those with a relationship to Penn.

Some, including local anarchists, believe Penn's actions divide the community. The Sadie Alexander public elementary school, which Penn helped to build and currently subsidizes, is closed to students outside its "catchment". The Penn Mortgage program is available only to Penn employees and only for homes purchased within Penn's definition of the boundaries of University City. The university is also active in branding the area as "University City", with its logo showing up next to the name on signs and bridges.

For decades, it had been generally understood that 40th Street was the "invisible campus boundary" between the residential neighborhoods to the west and the Penn campus to the east. In recent years the "Penn bubble" is said to have expanded further west.

Major redevelopment projects

University City Science Center

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." 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. By 1965, the WPC had developed a massive plan to demolish homes and redevelop the land as a center of private scientific research. 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.

Penn's "Superblock", the area between 38th, 40th, Spruce, and Walnut streets, was also cleared and redeveloped as a follow-up to this plan.

Planned development along the Schuylkill's west bank

In 2007, Penn bought 24 acres between its campus and the Schuylkill river, an area largely previously occupied by the United States Postal Service and known as the Postal Lands. (This 1994 map shows the area before the GE building was refurbished into the Left Bank and the Cira Centre was built.) According to plans in the works since 2005, Penn officials intend to build several facilities and to connect its campus with the riverfront and Center City. New buildings will include a college house, parking garages, hotel and conference spaces and more green space on campus. A walkway will extend from Locust Walk across the Schuylkill River to Center City.

Slated to begin in 2007, the first of four construction stages will cost an estimated $1.94 billion, including about $194 million from city taxpayers.

In addition, the former post office is to be turned into office space for the Internal Revenue Service. In November 2007, Cira Center developer Brandywine Realty Trust broke ground for a 28-story mixed-used high-rise called Cira Center South, to be completed in 2010.

Demographics

In 2007, the University City District released its updated University City Report Card. This report card provided a detailed look at the area. The following information was accurate as of 2006.

There are 45,787 people, living in 16,625 households in University City. 29% of these households were classified as "Family" households and the remaining 71% were classified as "Non-Family". The average household size is 2.0 people. Median household income is $23,749, and the median age of the residents is 23.8 years. Median "Family" household income is $40,042. 8.1% of households have incomes of $100,000 or more and 35.2% have incomes of less than $15,000. The racial makeup of University City is approximately 42% Black, 35% White, 18% Asian/Pacific Islander, 4% Hispanic, with the remainder not classified. (UC Report Card: Households, Age, Income, Race; p.7)

There are 63,878 employees in the area. The largest employers are, with employee count in parentheses, Penn (13,239), Penn Health (11,136), CHoP (6,855), Drexel-Main (2,706), AMTRAK (2,551), and The VA (2,100). The leading employment sectors were, not surprisingly, educational services (53.1%) and health care services (21%). (UC Report Card: Employment; p.8)

The median home sale is $312,000, an increase of 22% over 2005. The average monthly rent is $667 for a studio apartment, $823 for a one-bedroom apartment, and $1,174 for a two-bedroom apartment. (UC Report Card: Housing; p.23)

Local institutions

Education

Higher education

Ordered by size (Number of students, 2006):

Secondary education

Primary education

  • Public (School District of Philadelphia)

    • Alexander Wilson School (K-5): 46th and Woodland Ave.
    • Charles R. Drew School (PreK-8): 38th and Powelton Ave.
    • Henry C. Lea School (K-8): 47th and Locust St.
    • Middle Years Alternative & 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.
  • 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 Av.
  • Parochial

Medical

Scientific

Not including the scientific departments of the local universities

Cultural

Charitable

Legal

Government representation

  • City Council: Hon. Jannie L. Blackwell, 3rd District
  • PA Senate: Hon. Anthony H. Williams, 8th District
  • PA House: Hon. James R. Roebuck, Jr., 188th District

Media

See also

External links

Historical

References



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Last updated on Thursday March 13, 2008 at 18:21:02 PDT (GMT -0700)
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