Know Your Neighborhood: Franklin Bridge North (& Old City & Callowhill)

Know Your Neighborhood: Callowhill St.

Callowhill Street is named after Wm Penn’s 2nd wife, Hannah Callowhill. Laid down in 1690, it was originally called “New” St because it was the first E-W road north of Philadelphia proper. A market was originally in the middle from 4th - 7th, which accounts for it’s width.

By late 1800’s, Callowhill (the area from Callowhill St to Spring Garden St and from 2nd to 9th St) was a dense residential/industrial area with many working class residents. But, by the 1920’s it was the core of Phila’s skid row, with lots of cheap boardinghouses, rundown warehouses, seedy bars, etc.

Unemployment reached 33% in the area by 1940. Franklin Square, just to the south, had lots of people hanging around, looking for day work or often drunk.

By the 1950’s, city planners regarded the region from Vine to Spring garden & beyond, blighted and derilect.

Yet, unlike Society Hill, the shabby but still functioning neighborhood wasn’t considered for rehab. Both areas were in equally neglected condition.

With little protest, almost all the properties in the area were condemned as part of the Callowhill East Redevelopment Project. The areas between 2nd & 9th, from Callowhill to Spring Garden were largely leveled. Many historic buildings were destroyed as well as hundreds of modest 18th & 19th century houses & workshops. Residents were displaced as were many small businesses.

The projects goal was to create tracts of open land for use as an inner city industrial park with easy access to I 95 and Vine St. This plan failed as city’s de-industrialization was too far underway.

Concurrent construction of the Vine St expressway & I 95 made things even worse. The expressway obliterated every building between Vine & Callowhill for a full 6 blocks.