What was Philadelphia like in the 50s? (York, Dauphin: homes, subsidized)

[mancat100]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

I remember those islands on Market St. for the trollys. What a mess that was.

Why was it a mess?

[bryson662001]

Originally Posted by mancat100

Why was it a mess?

It just didn't work. The street isn't wide enough for that. Don't forget Market St had a lot more traffic in those days, both peds and cars and trucks. Pedesrians would have to dodge traffic to get back and forth to the islands while peds and cars would block traffic and traffic would block trollys.

[foo cities]

Originally Posted by Summersm343

Funny because Center City Philadelphia is more vibrant and more 24 hours than ANY of the cities you listed except Chicago. Many of the empty/surface lots in downtown are currently being built on or have SIGNIFICANT plans for the near future. Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus... which is what I assume you meant are currently in talks with Michael Salove Company to find space in Center City to open up shop. So is Bloomingdale's, Gucci, Michael Kors, Vera Bradley and a slew of other high end retailers. The core of Philadelphia is in a state of complete change currently and can easily kick the crap out of any downtown in the country save Chicago and Manhattan. So chill with the "it isn't a complete downtown" bull crap, because it is easily fighting San Fran for the 3rd best downtown in the country.

Nah, it's not true at all. Seattle, SF, Boston and LA are more vibrant than your downtown. It's wishful thinking that's it's the 3rd best downtown in the U.S.A or will be. In the future, if the city does it right, maybe will be the 6th best downtown in the U.S. in the next 15 years. San Diego and Indianapolia as well as Portland are in a dogfight with yours. Just hope hope the retailers listed above will pull the trigger and head to Center City. Still, there are alot of work to be done! I hope for this downtown, and hopefully, it's not the 50's all over again when things were looking to perk up and went downhill, instead.

[foo cities]

Originally Posted by mancat100

I believe our downtown "emerged" roughly 300 years ago.

Yeah, it went up and down. Lately, hopefully, it'll be up for real since it's the historical city of U.S. and needs act like one.

[2e1m5a]

Originally Posted by foo cities

In the future, if the city does it right, maybe will be the 6th best downtown in the U.S. in the next 15 years. San Diego and Indianapolia as well as Portland are in a dogfight with yours.

LOL, now that is some funny stuff. FooFoo, maybe you're not so bad afterall.

[bryson662001]

Originally Posted by 2e1m5a

LOL, now that is some funny stuff. FooFoo, maybe you're not so bad afterall.

I disagree. By comparing San Diego to Portland he just trashes any credibility that he never had anyway. How ridiculous can you get? San Diego and Tampa, now there's a match.

[foo cities]

Originally Posted by bryson662001

I disagree. By comparing San Diego to Portland he just trashes any credibility that he never had anyway. How ridiculous can you get? San Diego and Tampa, now there's a match.

Whom are you fooling? Dt. San Diego is further along in revitalization than Philly's, but Philly will beat or tie it in the next 10 years with new developments, retail and attractions. Tampa is so lacking in downtown core. Still, there will be a dogfight between Philly and San Diego in the next 10 years.

[Debbie1125]

Originally Posted by soulsurv

Actually, I don't really consider myself an "old timer" at the age of 55. The neighborhood was still fine in 75 when I graduated High school. The "nightmare" of which I spoke was experienced in the early 80s.

I grew up a few blocks from the York/Dauphin el stop in the 1960s. Not sure if that's considered North Philly or Kensington. Back then it was a neighborhood with many working class families. Corner stores, playgrounds, Front Street was a good shopping district. Bakeries, candy stores and people pretty much walked or took public transportation to get to places like K&A. Kids playing in the street without worrying about getting hit with a stray bullet.

However, around the late 70's early 80's all of that changed. That's when the drug dealers started moving in an burglaries and car theft jumped. Now it's known as the Badlands and a sad shell of what it was in the 60's through the early 80's.

A good source of what various Philly neighborhoods looked like back then is Phillyhistory.org. Be warned though, you can get addicted to the site quickly and spend hours looking at the pictures

[tintin19119]

Originally Posted by Debbie1125

I grew up a few blocks from the York/Dauphin el stop in the 1960s. Not sure if that's considered North Philly or Kensington. Back then it was a neighborhood with many working class families. Corner stores, playgrounds, Front Street was a good shopping district. Bakeries, candy stores and people pretty much walked or took public transportation to get to places like K&A. Kids playing in the street without worrying about getting hit with a stray bullet.

However, around the late 70's early 80's all of that changed. That's when the drug dealers started moving in an burglaries and car theft jumped. Now it's known as the Badlands and a sad shell of what it was in the 60's through the early 80's.

A good source of what various Philly neighborhoods looked like back then is Phillyhistory.org. Be warned though, you can get addicted to the site quickly and spend hours looking at the pictures

Also American st. was full of factories and warehouses,jobs a man could raise a family on.

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by Debbie1125

I grew up a few blocks from the York/Dauphin el stop in the 1960s. Not sure if that's considered North Philly or Kensington. Back then it was a neighborhood with many working class families. Corner stores, playgrounds, Front Street was a good shopping district. Bakeries, candy stores and people pretty much walked or took public transportation to get to places like K&A. Kids playing in the street without worrying about getting hit with a stray bullet.

However, around the late 70's early 80's all of that changed. That's when the drug dealers started moving in an burglaries and car theft jumped. Now it's known as the Badlands and a sad shell of what it was in the 60's through the early 80's.

A good source of what various Philly neighborhoods looked like back then is Phillyhistory.org. Be warned though, you can get addicted to the site quickly and spend hours looking at the pictures

Very true Debbie. Something the younger people cannot even imagine how much better it was