Fairhill, a characteristic postindustrial neighborhood in North Philadelphia, embodies a complex social history reflective of the city's evolution through three centuries. Centered on a Quaker burial ground, the neighborhood flourished during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when Philadelphia emerged as the industrial "workshop of the world." With the waning of the industrial era, a large portion of the workforce followed industries from the inner city to the urban periphery, resulting in a significant loss of middle- and upper-class wealth. In Fairhill, the largely Central and Western European population was replaced by waves of African Americans and Puerto Ricans, who make up the majority of the community today. From the mid-1970s through the 1990s, Fairhill, along with much of Philadelphia, fought drugs, violence, and crime to a degree that earned it the label of "The Badlands." Despite these changes, the area retains its character as a residential and mixed-use neighborhood, including a strong physical legacy of 19th century building stock and urban form. Fairhill's significance extends beyond the integrity of its historic assets to layers of social history, active and devoted community activists, and its continual evolution as a typical Philadelphia neighborhood.
The studio team aimed to understand and analyze the complexities of the neighborhood in order to craft a preservation-oriented plan to guide its future. The resulting preservation plan focused on how the preservation and stewardship of the neighborhood's historic built environment might be creatively leveraged to generate other benefits for the area, and included a number of creative preservation-based strategies for economic revitalization.
The team asserted that historic preservation could be a great catalyst for the community. Preservation could help the stakeholders of Fairhill to cultivate their community identity and engender community pride by creating a link with the rich history of their neighborhood. Specific recommendations included: reuse of monumental and public buildings (including a large public school and Catholic church); gradual infill development of open spaces and empty lots; strengthening the commercial corridor along Germantown Avenue; and researching/designating local resources (including the many corner stores iconic to many Philadelphia working-class neighborhoods).
Downloads
2009 West Fairhill Neighborhood Report (Part 1) 2009 West Fairhill Neighborhood Report (Part 2) 2009 West Fairhill Neighborhood Report (Part 3)