All in a name: "Temple Town" or "Cecil B. Moore"? (Philadelphia: real estate, 2014)

[Clark Park]

I read an interesting article in today's Philadelphia Daily News. The headline screamed "Identity Theft?" and was all about a neighborhood formerly called Cecil B. Moore, but now increasingly called "Temple Town." The neighborhood roughly from Broad Street west to 22nd Street, Jefferson Street north to Montgomery Avenue.

Temple University has gone on record not supporting the name change, it was reported that the new name is being pushed by a real estate development company called Temple Town. Cecil B. Moore was a much admired civil rights attorney. The underlying controversy is all too familiar to Philadelphians: gentrification.

If you have a sense of deja vu ... remember ... back in the 1960's a part of West Philly near Penn was rebranded "University City."

Your thoughts?

[RightonWalnut]

Templetown

Things change... and that's the way it is. The area of West Philly did not used to be called University City, but now it is. They changed the name and now the area is BOOMING.

Templetown is doing wonders for the neighborhood. New construction everywhere. Why not call the area to the West of 18th St "Cecil B Moore"?

Temple is creating all the development in the area, drawing in jobs, retailers, grocery stores, movie theaters, residents for new construction, police patrolling.

Funny how the residents did nothing to improve the neighborhood, and now that the neighborhood is improving, they're happy to use the added amenities Temple is bringing in, as well as the increased police presence, the cleaning up of their neighborhood, and the increased property values.... yet they still refuse to give Temple any credit. They neighborhood is called Templetown.

By the way, the boundaries of the neighborhood as viewed by Temple Students are the Train Tracks to the East, 18th or 19th Street to the West, Susquehanna to the North and Masters or Jefferson to the South (but only on the West Side of Broad). The East Side of Broad Street Between Cecil B. and Girard is known as Yorktown.

[gwillyfromphilly]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

I read an interesting article in today's Philadelphia Daily News. The headline screamed "Identity Theft?" and was all about a neighborhood formerly called Cecil B. Moore, but now increasingly called "Temple Town." The neighborhood roughly from Broad Street west to 22nd Street, Jefferson Street north to Montgomery Avenue.

Temple University has gone on record not supporting the name change, it was reported that the new name is being pushed by a real estate development company called Temple Town. Cecil B. Moore was a much admired civil rights attorney. The underlying controversy is all too familiar to Philadelphians: gentrification.

If you have a sense of deja vu ... remember ... back in the 1960's a part of West Philly near Penn was rebranded "University City."

Your thoughts?

I completely support the name change to Templetown. I don't really have a problem with gentrification as some areas in this city could use a face lift.

[rotodome]

Ah, Town vs. Gown.

(I'm pretty much always going to choose Town.)

[Better Than You]

Too bad - things change. Are we supposed to feel sorry for longtime residents of neighborhoods like Point Breeze and Cecil B. Moore? Does anybody feel bad for the working class when their neighborhoods change for the worse? They're told to "deal with it or move." Longtime residents of gentrifying neighborhoods have the same option.

[rotodome]

Weird animosity.

[rotodome]

Clark Park, could you link to the OP article?

[Better Than You]

Originally Posted by rotodome

Weird animosity.

What's so "weird" about it?

[thwanko]

Is Cecil B. Moore actually a common name for the neighborhood, not just the street/subway station? Do people say "I live in Cecil B. Moore"? I've always heard people just sort of say North Philly and leave it at that.

If it is it can't be that old a name, Columbia ave was only renamed in 1987.

Originally Posted by Better Than You

They're told to "deal with it or move." Longtime residents of gentrifying neighborhoods have the same option.

Well, if they get priced out they don't have the option of not moving

[Better Than You]

Originally Posted by thwanko

Is Cecil B. Moore actually a common name for the neighborhood, not just the street/subway station? Do people say "I live in Cecil B. Moore"? I've always heard people just sort of say North Philly and leave it at that.

If it is it can't be that old a name, Columbia ave was only renamed in 1987.




Well, if they get priced out they don't have the option of not moving

Well, tough boobie for them ...