Everything about University City Philadelphia Pennsylvania totally explained
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 Township didn't 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 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.
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.
University City District
University City isn't 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.
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.
Demographics report
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 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):
- 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.
- 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.
Secondary education
Public (School District of Philadelphia)
Private
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
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.
Medical Examiner's Office: Part of the city government.
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 (External Link): Focuses on commercialization.
Wistar Institute: Leader in research on the causes and cures of disease.
Cultural
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia
Esther M. Klein Art Gallery at the Science Center.
Drexel Collection, including:
Slought Foundation
Penn's Arthur Ross Gallery
Sam Quinn Gallery
University City Arts League
A-Space - Anarchist Community Center
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.
Red Cross House: Short-term lodging for disaster victims.
Legal
American Law Institute: Provides Restatements of the Law.
Dechert: Philadelphia's largest law firm.
Woodcock Washburn: Law firm that only does intellectual property law.
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
Daily Pennsylvanian (DP) - Penn's daily student newspaper.
The Triangle (TRI) - Drexel's weekly student newspaper.
The University City Review (UCR) - Local weekly community newspaper.
Penn Gazette (PG) - Penn's monthly alumni magazine.Further Information
Get more info on 'University City Philadelphia Pennsylvania'.
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