Passyunk Square, Philadelphia

Passyunk Square is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia bounded by Broad Street to the west, 6th Street to the east, Tasker Street to the south and Washington Avenue to the north. [1] Passyunk Square is bordered by the Bella Vista, Hawthorne, Central South Philadelphia, Wharton, and Point Breeze neighborhoods. [2] [3] The neighborhood got its Lenape name from the 1800s Passyunk Township, Pennsylvania which named Passyunk Square Park, located between 12th, 13th, Reed and Wharton Streets. The park was eventually renamed Columbus Square Park, and subsequently the neighborhood became known as Columbus Square. Sue Montella, Geoff DiMasi, and a group of neighbors revived the Passyunk Square name when forming the Passyunk Square Civic Association in 2003.[4] The area has come to be known as Little Saigon for its large Vietnamese American commercial and residential presence,[5] with one of the largest Vietnamese populations on the east coast.[6][7]

Not to be confused with East Passyunk Crossing, Philadelphia.
Passyunk Square
Neighborhood of Philadelphia
Geno's Steaks at 9th Street and Passyunk in South Philadelphia
Geno's Steaks at 9th Street and Passyunk in South Philadelphia
Passyunk Square is located in Philadelphia
Passyunk Square
Passyunk Square
Coordinates: 39.93303°N 75.16515°W / 39.93303; -75.16515
Country United States
StatePennsylvania
CountyPhiladelphia County
CityPhiladelphia
ZIP codes
19147, 19148
Area code(s)215, 267, 445

History

Lafayette Cemetery was established in 1828 on the block between Federal and Wharton Streets and 9th and 10th Avenues.[8] The cemetery was originally designed to hold 14,000 bodies, but by 1946, it was in disrepair and overcrowded with 47,000 bodies.[9] In March 1946, the city condemned Lafayette Cemetery and relocated all of the remains to Evergreen Memorial Park in Bensalem Township.

The former location of Lafayette Cemetery is used by the city of Philadelphia as the Capitolo Playground.[10]

Education
Eliza Butler Kirkbride School in Passyunk Square

The School District of Philadelphia serves the neighborhood.

Two K-8 schools, Fanny Jackson Coppin School (formerly the Federal Street School and Andrew Jackson School) and Eliza Butler Kirkbride School, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11] These schools serve portions of the neighborhood.[12][13] Furness High School serves areas within both the Kirkbride and Jackson zones.[14][15]

Demographics
  • White - 68%; Black - 6%; Asian - 19%; Hispanic - 7% [16]

Shopping district

The neighborhood is best known for its shopping and restaurants along the East Passyunk Avenue corridor.

East Passyunk Avenue features a large number of privately owned shops, restaurants, and grocery stores; additionally, it has a number of businesses such as insurance offices, salons, and pharmacies. [17]

The southernmost portion of one of America's oldest curb markets, popularly called The Italian Market, also falls within the Association's boundaries.[18]

Transportation

Passyunk Square is served by SEPTA's Broad Street Line at Tasker-Morris and Ellsworth-Federal stations. Several SEPTA bus lines run through the neighborhood.

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Passyunk Square, Philadelphia.

References
  1. Passyunk Square.org
  2. The Place Where You Live: Point Breeze South Philly Review
  3. Philadelphia Neighborhoods
  4. "Lower Italian Market Revitalization Project" p. 9 (PDF p/ 14/119). Retrieved on December 30, 2015. Original PSCA Website at the Wayback Machine (archived April 8, 2004)
  5. Setha M. Low (2010-07-05). On the Plaza: The Politics of Public Space and Culture. ISBN 9780292788268.
  6. "In South Philly, Subtly Staking Territory". 14 December 2011.
  7. Setha M. Low; Dana Taplin; Suzanne Scheld (2009-05-21). Rethinking Urban Parks: Public Space and Cultural Diversity. ISBN 9780292778214.
  8. Scharf, John Thomas (1884). History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co. p. 2359. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  9. Keels, Thomas H. (2010). Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN 978-1-61423-105-9. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  10. Hahn, Ashley. "Where the dead once lay, Philly kids now play". www.inquirer.com. Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  11. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  12. "Andrew Jackson Elementary School Geographic Boundaries Archived 2012-05-07 at the Wayback Machine" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved on November 28, 2015.
  13. "Elizabeth B. Kirkbride Elementary School Geographic Boundaries" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved on November 29, 2015.
  14. "A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. p. 15 (PDF p/ 17/40). Accessed November 6, 2008.
  15. "Horace Furness High School Geographic Boundaries" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved on October 4, 2011.
  16. The Place Where You Live: Passyunk Square
  17. East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District business directory
  18. Map of The South 9th St. Italian Market
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