Grays Ferry, Philadelphia
Grays Ferry | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 39°56′13″N 75°11′38″W / 39.936808°N 75.193934°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Pennsylvania |
County | Philadelphia |
City | Philadelphia |
Area code(s) | 215, 267 and 445 |
Grays Ferry, also known as Gray's Ferry, is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, bounded (roughly) by 25th Street on the east, the Schuylkill River on the west, Vare Avenue on the south, and Grays Ferry Avenue on the north.[1] The section of this neighborhood west of 34th Street is also known as Forgotten Bottom.[2]
Grays Ferry shares borders with
Grays Ferry was historically one of the largest enclaves of
History
The area developed near an important crossing of the
Before the
This neighborhood was once the site of the
The
Demographics
- Black, 56%; White, 39%; Other, 5%.
- More than 30% of the residents are under 18.
- Currently the neighborhood, which represents less than 1% of the city’s population, houses more than 10% of the city’s Section 8 residents.[8]
Education
Residents are in the
Anthony Wayne School is a former school in Grays Ferry.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia operated King of Peace School until its 1999 closure; it and another school consolidated with St. Gabriel School to form Our Lady of the Angels School (at St. Gabriel).[12] In 2012 the former King of Peace building began to be uses for Alcorn's middle school classes.[13] The Diocese formerly operated St. Gabriel School until it became an Independence Mission School in 2012 (an action which at the time prevented its closure), and then closed completely in 2021. St. Thomas Aquinas School was to take the majority of St. Gabriel students.[14]
Tasker Homes and Greater Grays Ferry Estates
The Tasker Homes (also known as the Tasker Housing Project) were located at 29th and Morris Streets and visible from the Schuylkill Expressway.[15] Originally, the housing project had 1,100 units and followed the city's general model of high-density, low-income housing.[15]
During Mayor John Street's administration, the Philadelphia Housing Authority declared certain higher density housing as blighted, demolishing it and replacing with lower density, townhome-style public housing. In 2004, the Tasker Homes were demolished and replaced with the Greater Grays Ferry Estates.[16] The new townhomes have increased tensions between working-class residents and occupants of Section 8 housing within the neighborhood. The reasons most often cited are memories of the problems with Tasker Homes.
Racial tension
Over the years, the neighborhood has seen numerous instances of racial violence.[
In 1998 there were two separate community organizations that were dominated by each race: Grays Ferry West among black people and Grays Ferry Community Council among white people.[18]
As the housing market has boomed in Philadelphia, the neighborhood has begun to see some resurgence. Where the former housing projects intersect with the neighborhood, a group of neighbors have started turning an empty lot into a new park at 30th and Oakford, and the area is beginning to see a trickle of young professionals overflowing from the nearby Graduate Hospital area. [citation needed]
See also
- Rambo's Rock
- Odunde Festival
-
Odunde Festival 2013 on Grays Ferry Avenue
External links
- Grays Ferry official community website
- Grays Ferry Irish Society
- Greater Grays Ferry Estates Homeowners Association Keeping the Estates in a Better State
- The place where you live: Grays Ferry South Philly Review
- Philadelphia City Paper A Prayer for Grays Ferry
- Grays Ferry Redevelopment Area Plan, from 1968
- Grays Ferry Near Philadelphia, a sketch from 1789.
- Historic Photographs of Grays Ferry, PhillyHistory.org
References
- ^ "SCETI > PB > Grays Ferry Redevelopment Area Plan Box , Folder , Item : page 10". sceti.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ OCLC 302106079.
- ^ "Global Philadelphia". Global Philadelphia Association. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
- ^ Revolution, Daughters of the American (1902). Report. U.S. Government Printing Office.
- ^ "Philadelphia History: Early Railroad Transportation". www.ushistory.org. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ "Incorporated District, Boroughs, and Townships in the County of Philadelphia, 1854". www.ushistory.org. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Citypaper.net". www.citypaper.net. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ "School Finder". School District of Philadelphia.
- ^ "School District Catchments and Related Schools". School District of Philadelphia.
- ^ PDF maps as of 2012:
"James Alcorn Elementary School Geographic Boundaries" (PDF). School District of Philadelphia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2023-12-31. (not the same as the boundary as of 2023)
"Delaplaine McDaniel Elementary School Geographic Boundaries" (PDF). School District of Philadelphia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2023-12-31.
"South Philadelphia High School Geographic Boundaries" (PDF). School District of Philadelphia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2023-12-31. - Newspapers.com.
- South Philly Review. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- South Philly Review. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
- ^ a b "Citypaper.net". www.citypaper.net. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ City of Philadelphia: Neighborhood Transformation Initiative
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- Newspapers.com.