Society Hill (Philadelphia)
Society Hill is a neighborhood in the Center City borough of Philadelphia . The neighborhood, which roughly encompasses the area between Walnut Street to the north, South Street to the south, Front Street to the east, and 8th Street to the west, is home to the greatest concentration of 18th and early 19th century architecture in the United States can still be found today. Similarly Beacon Hill in Boston , Society Hill has the charming character of a quarter in the cobbled streets of terraced houses of brick in Federal and Georgian style lined.
history
The quarter is after the 18th century formed the Society of Free Traders named which was located on Front Street, on the hill above Dock Creek. In close proximity to both the Delaware River and Philadelphia's major public buildings such as the B. Independence Hall , the neighborhood soon became one of the most populous areas in the city.
Several market halls, taverns and churches were built next to the brick houses of the wealthy citizens of Philadelphia.
In the 19th century , the city expanded west and Society Hill lost its importance. The houses fell into disrepair until the 1950s , but then the city, state, and federal government began one of the first redevelopment programs aimed at preserving the historic buildings. While some buildings from the 19th century were torn down, most of the historic houses were bought by individuals who had the exterior facades restored. In order to reinforce the impression of the colonial era, the new owners furnished their houses with replicas of furniture from the 18th century. Empty construction sites and abandoned houses have been replaced by parks, pedestrian walkways and modern buildings such as the Society Hill Towers , a project by architect IM Pei . Louis Sauer designed dozens of row house projects for the Society Hill area, including Waverly Court and Penn's Landing Square.
Historic buildings in Society Hill include the Society Hill Synagogue, which was built as a Baptist Church in 1829 by Thomas Ustick Walter of Philadelphia, one of the architects of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC , and St. Peter's of the Episcopal Church , which was built between 1758 and 1761 was built by Robert Smith .
education
Education for Society Hill residents is provided by the School District of Philadelphia public schools , General George A. McCall School through eighth grade and Furness High School from ninth through twelfth grade.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ K-8 Public Schools Boundary Map . " Center City Schools . Retrieved November 7, 2008.
- ^ " Map - McCall ." Center City District . Retrieved November 7, 2008.
- ↑ " Philadelphia Neighborhoods ." Philadelphia . Retrieved November 7, 2008.
- ↑ " Where the Graduates Go ( Memento of the original from December 5, 2004 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note ." George A. McCall School . Retrieved November 7, 2008.
