Strawberry Mansion, Philadelphia
| Strawberry Mansion | |
|---|---|
| Neighborhood of Philadelphia | |
|
Strawberry Mansion, under restoration in 2009, is located adjacent to the Strawberry Mansion community | |
| Country |
 United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Philadelphia County |
| City | Philadelphia |
| Area code(s) | Area code 215 |
Strawberry Mansion is a neighborhood in the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, located east of Fairmount Park in North Philadelphia. The neighborhood is bounded by 33rd Street to the west, 29th Street to the east, Lehigh Avenue to the north, and Oxford Street to the south. As of the 2000 census, the neighborhood had a population of 22,562. It is often associated with the historic house of the same name, Historic Strawberry Mansion, located adjacent to the neighborhood and generally thought to be the source of the community's name.
In 2005, the 19121 zip code, which contains Strawberry Mansion, had a median home sale price of $47,900. This was an 85% increase, the largest of any zip code in Philadelphia, from the 2004 median sale price.
History
Formerly known as Summerville, the neighborhood takes its name from a house known as Strawberry Mansion, at one time housing a restaurant known for strawberries and cream. Strawberry Mansion was home to a number of Philadelphia's wealthiest families in the 19th Century. It became a mixed-income, predominantly Jewish neighborhood, but since the middle of the 20th century the neighborhood has been struck by economic decline and urban decay. Modern Strawberry Mansion has acquired a reputation as one of the most dangerous areas of Philadelphia. The neighborhood is quite large geographically and in population and has been difficult to police or maintain with historically inadequate city funding. However, as of 2005, the southern and western boundaries of Strawberry Mansion have shown signs of gentrification. Feeding off the mixed successes of its southern neighbor Brewerytown, artist lofts have been planned in derelict factories. Additionally, property values have risen dramatically on properties which abut Fairmount Park on the western boundary of Strawberry Mansion. A number of stately park-side homes in varying states of disrepair can be found in what was once one of the wealthiest areas in all of Philadelphia. Many structures have already been completely restored in an area that was ignored for decades, but crime continues to plague the area.
Jazz saxophonist John Coltrane lived at 1511 North 33rd Street in Strawberry Mansion from 1952 to 1958, and later bought it for his mother. The John Coltrane House is currently owned by his cousin, and it is designated a National Historic Landmark.
NBA player Ronald "Flip" Murray attended Strawberry Mansion High School. Also as a child, Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Jazmine Sullivan lived in Strawberry Mansion.
Strawberry Mansion has also been home to horses and urban cowboys for generations. One local group, the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, provides activities and support to neighborhood kids in the struggling area. Notable mural, "A Tribute to Urban Horsemen" can be viewed from the community garden on Montgomery Avenue near 33rd st.
In 2015 it was announced that public access would be restored to the perimeter of a fallow basin of the East Park Reservoir in the first phase of a program to expand youth programs within the park. Then-Mayor Michael Nutter was quoted in ceremony, "What's demonstrated here today is that Strawberry Mansion will become the melting pot of the City of Philadelphia." Neighborhood residents eagerly await removal of the chain link fence and barbed wire. The change is a significant expansion of the park side amenities afforded to neighborhood residents and the city, reflecting the wave of redevelopment in the area and renewed efforts to improve Fairmount park.
Cityscape and Population
The community is bounded by Fairmount Park to the west, Lehigh Avenue to the north, Sedgley Avenue and the SEPTA rail tracks to the east, and Cecil B. Moore Avenue to the south.Bordering neighborhoods include Allegheny West to the north, Glenwood and Stanton to the east, Brewerytown to the south. As of 2010, Strawberry Mansion was 94.3% black or African American, 2.3% white or European American, 1.6% Hispanic, 0.8% Asian, and 1% all other.[1]
Education
The School District of Philadelphia serves Strawberry Mansion.
Strawberry Mansion High School is in the neighborhood.
The high school and the area middle school shared a building with a third school, Leslie P. Hill Elementary School, which was a K-8 school, until it was closed in 2013. Many children, prior to the close, attended elementary, junior, and high school without leaving the building. Now the neighborhood school that feeds into SMHS is James G. Blaine at 30th and Berks.[2]
In 2015, a music recording studio opened at Strawberry Mansion High school financed by popular recording artist Drake.[3]
The historic Most Precious Blood School is also located in the neighborhood.
Notable residents
- Larry Fine (born 1902) comedian, Three Stooges (Clifford St)[4]
- Allen Rosenberg (born 1931), rower and rowing coach
- John Coltrane (born 1926) musician and composer (33rd St)
See also
References
- ↑ "Philadelphia Neighborhoods and Place Names, Q-Z." City of Philadelphia. Retrieved on October 4, 2011.
- ↑ http://thenotebook.org/blog/136158/last-days-closing-philadelphia-schools
- ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/US/students-struggling-philadelphia-high-school-start-recording-studio/story?id=29531368
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=ZoKqFq6cwjQC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Further reading
Allen Meyers, Strawberry Mansion: the Jewish community of North Philadelphia, Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2000.
Strawberry Manion ushistory.org
Coordinates: 39°59′00″N 75°10′57″W / 39.9833°N 75.1826°W