Loft District/Callowhill

[eldondre]

The way I see it, there are three fundamentally different neighborhoods, separated by miles at their extremities, that are being lumped together as Spring Garden.
First, there is the stately, leafy 4 and 3 story rowhome neighborhood west of broad, south of Fairmount, north of Spring Garden. This neighborhood, once a Puerto Rican enclave, has long since gentrified, and is home to some of the city's most expensive real estate.
Second, there is the 'Loft District', south of Spring Garden, north of Vine, west of Broad, east of the trestle. This neighborhood is filled with abandoned factories and warehouses, some of which have been nicely renovated, and some of which have not. There are hardly any traditional houses to be found. Much of the warehousing is now being re-used by businesses in Chinatown.
Thirdly, there is the historically multiracial, slowly gentrifying, but very overlooked neighborhood east of Broad, north of Spring Garden, south of Brown, west of the Trestle. While the housing style is the same as it is west of Broad, there are more empty lots and empty houses than on the other side, and this neighborhood can hardly be called 'fashionable'. And yet, there's a decent amount of infill going on, and alt-types are beginning to flock- 'The Institute', the neighborhood bars, seems to be one of the most highly-regarded in the city.
So which of these are the 'true' Spring Garden?

all of them, really. you can already see signs of east spring garden and west spring garden growing back together. (housing stock is also pretty similar in these two areas) the building being rehabbed at 13th and mt vernon is a mere block from Osteria and where birreria and route 6 will be. east spring garden is definitely showing an uptick in activity IMO. the nearest subway stop is spring garden. the loft district stuck, as the area east of broad, south of spring garden, since it was the aspirational hope that the old warehouses would be converted to lofts (and many were). what is built on the remaining lots remains to be seen. I'd also point out that union transfer is in the old Spring Garden Farmer's Market building

FYI-the institute is named after the Spring Garden Institute

In 1851, Spring Garden Institute was formed by a group of prominent Philadelphians...The original institute was located on the East Side of Broad Street, north of Spring Garden Street, in the municipality of Spring Garden, which was not yet within the Philadelphia City limits. During the 1850′s, the school’s forte was already clearly defined; in fact, mechanical drawing and architecture were major parts of the early curriculum...In order to provide living accommodations and expand further, the college bought the present campus at 7500 Germantown Avenue. In 1985, Spring Garden College took residence at the 33-acre site, formerly belonging to the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.

Spring Garden College » History

perhaps for another thread is the fact that the area between temple and spring garden had central HS, LaSalle, temple, and the moore college of art and design along north broad.

[Pitt]

No, becuase they fell for the Developer's lies and tricks.

It's cheap and effective to play on suburbanites ideals and jam them into substandard, and cheap to convert factories in blighted areas.

That way they feel like they are living "urban"

and the city gets to pay for all the demands they have to now make it livable. (ie, all the people who chose to not live there get to pay to make it nice)


all you need to do is give it a hip cool name like "Loft District" or "Midtown Village" or "Port Fishington"

and the residents of suck places will try to defend their mistake by claiming they live in a unique area vastly different than those "other areas" all the less intelligent chose to live in.

So therefore, I now live in North Port Richmond or Richmond Heights.

so I'm better than the actual "Port Richmond" right?



No?

Let's just go with the actual name. Spring Garden.

(This is really directed at all the people who refuse to think they live in just "South Philly"...that wasn't good enough..they needed their own "neighborhood" Bella, Midtown, G-Ho, et al...same goes for Faimount...now it's "Logan Square, Brewerytown, etc)

Where do you come up with this ****? Did these real estate agents exist in the 18th Century? Because it was Callowhill back then. The neighborhood isn't blighted, and people live here because the spaces are new but cheaper than where all the fun is a couple blocks south by El Vez, and parking is easy. I like loft layouts more than traditional row homes that feel cramped. But good luck with your imaginary neighborhood resident polls.

[jizay]

Where do you come up with this ****? Did these real estate agents exist in the 18th Century? Because it was Callowhill back then. The neighborhood isn't blighted, and people live here because the spaces are new but cheaper than where all the fun is a couple blocks south by El Vez, and parking is easy. I like loft layouts more than traditional row homes that feel cramped. But good luck with your imaginary neighborhood resident polls.

A developer that did some of the buildings in Callowhill banged his girlfriend. At least that's the best I can surmise.