Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, United States
Hawthorne
is a neighborhood in the
South Philadelphia
section of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, United States. It is located between Broad Street and 11th Street, and extends from South Street to Washington Avenue.
Background
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The most prominent landmark in the neighborhood was Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza, a public housing high-rise complex at 13th and Fitzwater Street, originally called Hawthorne Square. The four MLK towers were imploded on October 17, 1999, and have been slowly replaced with a mix of low-rise public housing, based on
New Urbanism
ideas, thanks to the
HOPE VI
program.
Hawthorne is in transition, one of the few neighborhoods contiguous to
Center City, Philadelphia
that had been left relatively untouched by major upscale development. It is also sandwiched between
gentrifying
neighborhoods:
Southwest Center City
is to its west and
Bella Vista
is to its east.
Much of Hawthorne is currently being renovated. Old homes are being renovated with only the exterior remaining. Other properties that were commercial are being (or have been) demolished and new town homes have replaced them.
Approximately 10 new homes a year have been constructed in the past two years; the current tax abatement and homes with parking are also attracting new residents.
The Nathaniel Hawthorne elementary school was converted into condominiums in 2011.
The
High School for the Creative and Performing Arts
is also located in Hawthorne, in the former Ridgway Library. The ornate building dates to 1878 and is modeled after the
Parthenon
, and is the former home of the
Library Company of Philadelphia
.
History
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According to Sandra Robinson,
[2]
Hawthorne Square was originally the name given to the area between roughly Lombard and Bainbridge. A popular
African American
nightlife spot for
jazz
musicians, vices, and rowdy bars, it was also a site of poverty and
street crime
. When the city made an effort to revitalize
Society Hill
and the neighborhood now called
Washington Square West
, the community of Hawthorne Square was essentially pushed to the south and west, creating "Hawthorne" with its current boundaries.
The
Washington Avenue Historic District
,
Bartlett School
, and
Nathaniel Hawthorne School
are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
.
[3]
Education
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The
School District of Philadelphia
operates public schools, including
Academy at Palumbo
, formally known as Barlett School, or Frank C. Palumbo Junior High School.
The
Free Library of Philadelphia
operates the Charles Santore Branch (formerly Southwark Branch), serving Bella Vista.
[4]
References
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External links
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