Girard Avenue
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| Girard Avenue | |
| Route information | |
| Length: | 7.8 mi (12.6 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| West end: | 67th Street in West Philadelphia |
 US 30 (Lancaster Avenue) in West Philadelphia US 13 (34th Street) in West Fairmount Park I‑76 / US 30 (Schuylkill Expressway) in Fairmount ParkUS 13 (33rd Street) in East Fairmount Park PA 611 (Broad Street) in North PhiladelphiaFrankford Avenue in Fishtown  I-95 (Delaware Expressway) / Aramingo Avenue in Fishtown
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| East end: | Richmond Street in Fishtown |
| Highway system | |
Girard Avenue is a major commercial and residential street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For most of its length it runs east-west, but at Frankford Avenue it makes a 45-degree turn north.
Girard Avenue begins in West Philadelphia at 67th Street, runs east through the Carroll Park neighborhood and the Centennial District, crosses the Schuylkill River via the Girard Avenue Bridge, and continues through East Fairmount Park and across North Philadelphia to Frankford Avenue in the Fishtown neighborhood. At Frankford Avenue it makes a 45-degree turn to the north and becomes East Girard Avenue, running parallel to the Delaware River until it ends at Richmond Street.
Girard Avenue was named for banker Stephen Girard (1750–1831) – at his death, the richest man in the United States – who directed that his fortune be used to found a trade school for orphaned boys.
The first "Girard Avenue" was a 3-block street in North Philadelphia, between the 1800-block of Ridge Avenue and Corinthian Avenue, approaching the under-construction Girard College (confirmed by 1845). By 1852, the avenue had been extended west to 33rd Street; and in 1855, the timber-arched Girard Avenue Bridge carried it over the Schuylkill River and into West Philadelphia. To the east: In 1858, the name "Girard Avenue" was adopted for the existing Franklin Street, that ran east-west between 6th Street and Frankford Avenue; and for the existing Prince Street, that ran northeast-southwest between Frankford Avenue and Norris Street. The 12-block gap between 6th and 18th Streets was filled in before the Civil War. The West Philadelphia section of the avenue was extended to 64th Street in 1868; and to 67th Street in 1936.
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Wikipedia