Powelton Historic District
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Houses in Powelton Village
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Location | 3500-3520 Powelton Ave., 214-218 35th St., and 215-221 36th St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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Coordinates | 39°57′35″N 75°11′25″W / 39.95972°N 75.19028°WCoordinates: 39°57′35″N 75°11′25″W / 39.95972°N 75.19028°W |
Area | 105 acres |
Built | 1902 |
Architect | Multiple |
NRHP reference # | 85000998 |
Added to NRHP | May 9, 1985 |
Powelton Village is a neighborhood of mostly Victorian, mostly twin homes in the West Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a national historic district which is part of University City. It extends north from Market Street to Spring Garden Street, east to 32nd Street, west to 40th and Spring Garden Streets, and to 44th and Market Streets.
Powelton Village takes its name from the Powel Family, seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Welsh colonialists who held extensive estates in the area. As in other parts of West Philadelphia, in the late 1800s trolley lines opened the area up to urbanization. Powelton soon became a choice residential spot for Philadelphia industrial tycoons. Powelton's luster began to wane by the 1920s, and by the 1940s the neighborhood was populated by low-income families and infested with "bottom" gangs, whose members lived in a stretch paralleling Market St. known as the "Bottom." In the 1960s the Village was home to many members of the counterculture movement, and Powelton today enjoys a strong political activism and anarchist tradition, as well as a healthy multiethnic pluralism.
In addition to the Powelton Historic District, the Bell Telephone Exchange Building, The Powelton, Frederick A. Poth Houses, and John Shedwick Development Houses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Commercial activity in Powelton is concentrated on Lancaster Avenue, particularly between 35th Street and 37th Street. The avenue is lined with shops, restaurants, and various other retail establishments. Many local businesses benefit from both Powelton residents and college students. Mad Greeks, Powelton Pizza, Village Pizza, California Pizza, and Ed's are all popular eating places. Lancaster Avenue near 36th Street has also become home to upscale Mexican and Thai restaurants. On the avenue near 37th are the newer Stan' Deli [1] and Green Line Café.