University City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

s 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. [http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/1197/philly3.html PG: Origin of name "University City".] ] 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 convert|1500|acre|km2 from the local Indian tribe and named the area. [ [http://www.uchs.net/Rosenthal/area.html UCHS: Early history of "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." [ [http://www.uchs.net/Rosenthal/blockley.html UCHS: Notes about Blockley Township.] ] 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. [ [http://www.uchs.net/Rosenthal/wphila.html UCHS: Development of "West Philadelphia"] which in the 18th century generally referred to what is now called University City. ] Later, parts of Blockley were carved out to form the District of West Philadelphia.

In 1735, Andrew Hamilton, a "Philadelphia Lawyer", purchased convert|300|acre|km2 of land within Blockley Township. This area came to be known as Hamilton Village [ [http://www.uchs.net/Rosenthal/hamvil.html UCHS: History of 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. [ [http://www.uchs.net/Rosenthal/grnvil.html UCHS account of the history of 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. [ [http://www.uchs.net/Rosenthal/wpc.html UCHS: West Philadelphia Corporation's origins] ]

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.cite web| url=http://www.studio34yoga.com/trolley.shtml | title="Studio 34's Eponymous Trolley, or, A Short History of Route 34" | accessdate=2008-03-11 ] 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 [ [http://www.cedarparkneighbors.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=32 CPN: History of 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. [ [http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/1197/philly3.html PG: Origin of name "University City".] ] 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. [http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/1197/philly3.html PG: Origin of name "University City".] ]

Town and gown relations

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", [ [http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2001/02/07/News/mcpenntrification.Will.Ruin.U.City.Locals.Say-2182759.shtml DP: McPenntrification] ] names meant to suggest that the efforts benefit only those with a relationship to Penn. Some, including local anarchists, [ [http://www.ainfos.ca/04/dec/ainfos00345.html An anarchist perspective on Penn's changes to the area] ] believe Penn's actions divide the community.

Opened in 2001, the Sadie Alexander public elementary school, which Penn helped to build and subsidizes, is closed to students outside its "catchment". [http://www.upenn.edu/campus/westphilly/pas.html] 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, 40th Street was generally considerd the "invisible campus boundary" between the residential neighborhoods to the west and the Penn campus to the east [ [http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/0504/editors4.html PG: The Rodin Years] ] . In recent years, the "Penn bubble" is said to have expanded further west. [ [http://media.www.34st.com/media/storage/paper1076/news/2007/09/20/Feature/University.City.Blues-2980305.shtml DP: University City Blues: Meet the often-overlooked West Philadelphians who make life at Penn possible.] ]

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." [ [http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/upwphil/ucscpart1.html UPA: History of the development of the University City Science Center.] ] 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. [ [http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/upwphil/ucscpart2.html UPA: West Philadelphia Corporation formed.] ] 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. [ [http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/upwphil/ucscpart3.html UPA: Massive redevelopment plan for West Philadelphia] , centered around the University City Science Center.]

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. ( [http://partners.upenn.edu/wp/plan/part4-3-1.html This 1994 map] shows the area before the GE building was refurbished into the Left Bank and the Cira Centre was built. [ [http://partners.upenn.edu/wp/plan/part4-3-1.html PP: Schuylkill West Bank Map from 1994 redevelopment plan.] ] ) 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. [ [http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/159538507.html Entrepreneur Magazine: Postal Lands development] ] [ [http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2006/08/31/News/Campus.Expansion.Transforming.Penns.Campus.With.A.Bold.Look.To.The.East-2255541.shtml DP: Eastern Expansion] ]

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. [ [http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2007/11/19/daily2.html Philadelphia Business Journal: Cira Centre South] ] [ [http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/find_a_project/planned/planned_a_to_f/cira_centre_south_overview.php Penn's official site for Cira Centre South] ]

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 local institutions in 1997 in an effort to provide the area with additional safety, cleanup, and marketing services as well as help in coordinating district initiatives. [ [http://www.ucityphila.org/ucd_programs UCD: District programs] ]

The UCD has been criticized for its director's involvement in the Philadelphia mayoral election, 2007 [ [http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/8330277.html Philly.com: UCD official involved with the Knox campaign.] ] and recent crimes committed by one of its employees. [ [http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/media/storage/paper882/news/2005/09/08/News/Uniformed.U.City.Worker.Held.In.String.Of.Burglaries-2147831.shtml DP: UCD employee arrested for string of burglaries] ]

Demographics report

In 2007, the University City District released its updated University City Report Card. [ [http://www.ucityphila.org/_files/docs/reportcard07.pdf UCD: "University City Report Card 2007"] ] 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 are classified as "Family" households and the remaining 71% are 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): [ [http://www.ucityphila.org/_files/docs/reportcard07.pdf UCD: "University City Report Card 2007"] : School populations, p. 11/40 ]
* University of Pennsylvania (23,704): Founded in 1740, moved to current neighborhood in 1872.
* Drexel University (Main Campus: 18,466): Founded in 1891.
* University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (3,008): Founded in 1821.
* Community College of Philadelphia, West Regional Center (748): Founded in 1965, West campus established in 1985.
* Lincoln University (Urban Center: 596): Main campus in Chester County founded in 1854, Urban Center satellite campus opened in 1976.
* The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College (535): Founded in 1974, moved to current neighborhood in 1992.
* [http://www.thompson.edu/thompsonPortal/thompsonCampuses/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia/ Thompson Institute] (?): Philadelphia campus opened in 1982. Part of Kaplan, Inc.
* Philadelphia Divinity School (0): Founded in 1858, left neighborhood in 1974. Was located at 42nd and Spruce, where buildings remain.

econdary education

* Public (School District of Philadelphia)
** Middle Years Alternative & Parkway School (6-12): 49th and Chestnut St.
** University City High School (9-12): 36th and Filbert St.
** West Philadelphia High School (9-12): 48th and Walnut St.
* Private
** [http://www.hmsschool.org/ HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy] (ages 2-21): 4400 Baltimore Ave.
** West Philadelphia Catholic High School (9-12): 45th and Chestnut St.

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
** St. Francis de Sales School (1-8): 912 S. 47th St.

Medical

* Children's Hospital of Philadelphia ("CHoP"): The top children's hospital in the country.
* Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania ("HUP"): #12-ranked general hospital in the country.
* Penn Presbyterian Medical Center ("Presby"): 300-bed hospital, home to the Scheie Eye Institute.
* VA Medical Center, Philadelphia ("The VA"): Local center for veterans' healthcare.
* [http://www.phila.gov/health/units/meo/index.html Medical Examiner's Office] : Part of the city government.
* [http://www.consortium-inc.org/ The Consortium] : Mental health services.

Scientific

Not including the scientific departments of the local universities
* Monell Chemical Senses Center: Leader in research on smell and taste.
* The Science Center at University City [http://www.sciencecenter.org/ ] : Focuses on commercialization.
* Wistar Institute: Leader in research on the causes and cures of disease.

Cultural

* A-Space, an anarchist community center
* Drexel University's [http://www.drexel.edu/drexelcollection/about.asp Drexel Collection] , including:
** [http://www.drexel.edu/drexelcollection/picture_gallery.asp Picture Gallery]
** [http://www.drexel.edu/drexelcollection/peck.asp Paul Peck Center Gallery]
* [http://www.kleinartgallery.org/ Esther M. Klein Art Gallery] at the Science Center
* Philadanco, a professional dance company
* [http://www.samquinn.com/ Sam Quinn Gallery]
* [http://www.slought.org/ Slought Foundation]
* [http://www.studio34yoga.com/arts.php Studio 34: Yoga | Healing | Arts] , an art gallery and performance space
* [http://www.ucartsleague.org/ University City Arts League]
* University of Pennsylvania institutions include:
** [http://www.upenn.edu/ARG/ Arthur Ross Gallery]
** Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, Penn's modern art museum
** University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, also called "The Penn Museum"

Charitable

* 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.
* [http://www.redcross-philly.org/ProgramsServices/RedCrossHouse/ Red Cross House] : Short-term lodging for disaster victims.

Legal

* American Law Institute: Provides "Restatements of the Law".
* Dechert: Philadelphia's largest law firm.

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

* [http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/ Daily Pennsylvanian (DP)] , Penn's daily student newspaper.
* [http://www.thetriangle.org/ The Triangle (TRI)] , Drexel's weekly student newspaper.
* [http://www.ucreview.com/ The University City Review (UCR)] , a local weekly community newspaper.
* [http://www.upenn.edu/gazette/ Penn Gazette (PG)] , Penn's monthly alumni magazine.

See also

* Saint Mary's Church, Hamilton Village
* Templetown, Philadelphia - North Philadelphia neighborhood surrounding Temple University.

External links

* [http://philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=12923 "Phila Weekly" Article Recounting University City's Recent History, Including Changes in the Penn/Community Relationship(PW - Sept. 2006)]
* [http://phillyskyline.com/photo/jeremyburger/ucity/ Photo tour of University City]
* [http://westphillydata.library.upenn.edu/infoR_Neigh_UCity.htm Neighborhood Profile] - from the Penn Library's InfoResources project.

Historical

* [http://www.uchs.net/ University City Historical Society (UCHS)] - Local history organization.
* [http://www.archives.upenn.edu/ University of Pennsylvania Archives (UPA)] - University Archives and Record Center.
* [http://cml.upenn.edu/nbase/ neighborhoodBase] from Penn's Cartographic Modeling Laboratory.
* [http://partners.upenn.edu/wp/plan/index.html Penn Partners (PP)] - The Plan for West Philadelphia, 1994.

References