Point Breeze is a multicultural

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It is bounded by 25th Street to the west, Washington Avenue to the north, 18th Street to the east, and Moore Street to the south.

Graduate Hospital Southwest Center City (SWCC), also known as Graduate Hospital, is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia bordering Center City Philadelphia. The neighborhood is bordered on the north by South Street, on the south by Washington Avenue, on the west b ...

lies to its north, and Newbold lies to its east. Point Breeze is separated from

Grays Ferry Grays Ferry, also known as Gray's Ferry, is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia bounded (roughly) by 25th Street on the east, the Schuylkill River on the west, Vare Avenue on the south, and Grays Ferry Avenue on the north. The section of this nei ...

to the west by a

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

railway viaduct over 25th Street.

History

According to historical maps, much of what is

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.Greater Philadelphia GeoHistory Network
/ref> "Point Breeze" was a point on the western side of the Schuylkill River, approximately where the Passyunk Avenue bridge is today. In the 1860s it and the area across on the eastern side of the river were developed as an area for oil refinery by the Atlantic Petroleum Company, later the

Atlantic Richfield ARCO ( ) is a brand of gasoline stations currently owned by Marathon Petroleum after BP sold its rights. BP commercializes the brand in Northern California, Oregon and Washington, while Marathon has rights for the rest of the United States and ...

Company (ARCO). Oil that had been extracted in Western Pennsylvania could be processed here and then shipped down the Schuylkill, to the Delaware and out to sea."A Petaled Rose Of Hell: Refineries, Fire Risk, And The New Geography Of Oil In Philadelphia's Tidewater"
"Hidden City Philadelphia" The Avenue that connected the city proper to the east side of the river at Point Breeze was known in 1808 as "Long Lane." In the mid-to-late 1800s, development of Philadelphia continued westward from the Delaware River and southward from Market Street. Long Lane also began to be known as Point Breeze Avenue by 1895 and lent its name to the neighborhood that was to spring up here. "The earliest references to Point Breeze" as a neighborhood "date to 1895."
''

South Philly Review ''Philadelphia Weekly'' (''PW'') is a website based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a newspaper in 1971 as ''The Welcomat'', a sister publication to the ''South Philadelphia Press''. In 1995, the paper became ''Philadelphia Weekl ...

'' October 7, 2004 The area was first settled by working-class European Jewish immigrants, followed by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

immigrants. In 1930s numerous

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

s settled here, some of whom had come North in the Great Migration, escaping

Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sou ...

in the South and looking for work in industrial cities. At this time the African-American center of Philadelphia was shifting from near Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church at 6th and Lombard, to west of Broad."Point Breeze"
"The PhillyHistory Blog: Discoveries from the City Archives," August 5, 2010 WashingtonAvenuePhilly

Through the 1960s Point Breeze was reported to be a safe, clean, relatively integrated, and self-sufficient neighborhood, with a thriving business district along Point Breeze Avenue. Residents called it "The Breeze." Rising racial tensions, fear of race riots and

white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...

in the 1960s and 1970s resulted in many businesses moving away, and the neighborhood becoming majority African American. Also at this time, people who could afford it often moved to newer suburban housing, aided by greater ease in commuting by public transit and highways. The

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and bro ...

epidemic of the 1970s, and

crack epidemic The crack epidemic was a surge of crack cocaine use in major cities across the United States throughout the entirety of the 1980s and the early 1990s. This resulted in a number of social consequences, such as increasing crime and violence in Amer ...

of the '90s and related crime adversely affected Point Breeze. Between 1988 and 1990 the Philadelphia Police department conducted raids in Point Breeze to shut down the Carr family drug ring; it reportedly had been selling $1.3 million per year in crack,

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...

and prescription drugs. The Point Breeze Performing Arts Center opened in 1984 on Point Breeze Avenue."Neighborhood: Point Breeze"
, "Center City District + Central Philadelphia Development Corporation" From 1990 through 2000 Point Breeze lost approximately 10% of its population."Community Profile: Point Breeze
''

'' Despite this, since the 1990s some revitalization efforts have taken place; such organizations as South Philadelphia H.O.M.E.S. and Universal Companies, owned by Kenny Gamble, have helped build low-income housing and schools in the area. Immigrants from Southeast Asia have moved into Point Breeze in the 1990s and 2000s. For example, in the 2000 census Point Breeze contained the highest concentration of Vietnamese in the city; the more than 900 Vietnamese people comprised nearly 12% of the population of Point Breeze. In the 2000s and beyond, Point Breeze has had some revitalization through

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ...

. Real estate investors such as John Longacre and Ori Feibush have begun developing property here, especially along the Broad Street and Washington Avenue corridors."American Sardine Bar's John Longacre: It's Not About Race and Class"
''Philadelphia Magazine,'' May 20, 2013 While many residents resent the changing neighborhoods and feel displaced in areas they once called home, others believe such change signals a booming resurgence in the area, which has both trendy bars and lower crime. In 2016 the YouTube channel
New Neighbors
interviewed longtime Point Breeze residents about the gentrification efforts. One man said existing residents were harassed by increased police scrutiny; a woman said that her brother was killed here long ago. She noted the lack of shopping for regular goods. She said,

"We have everything in Point Breeze that's no good for any human consumption, it oint Breezedoes not nurture any entrepreneur spirit or anything else - other then people that are foreigners, that come in and get money to open up businesses in the community. Who do not necessarily give back when you ask...but I think it's a great thing in terms of the changes in the community, I welcome it with open arms."

In July 2019 the ''

Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...

'' published an

Op-Ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page", is a written prose piece, typically published by a North-American newspaper or magazine, which expresses the opinion of an author usually not affiliated with the publication's editorial board. ...

piece written by Angelita Ellison, Philadelphia City Clerk an
Women’s Community Revitalization Project (WCRP)
member. She described the hardship of being displaced from her neighborhood of 16 years, and after leaving, seeing the renovation of a long unused and unfunded neighborhood tennis court. Her Op-Ed was titled "Gentrification displaced my family from Point Breeze." In contrast, a research study, "The Effects of Gentrification on the Well-Being and Opportunity of Original Resident Adults and Children", was published by the

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia — also known as the Philadelphia Fed or the Philly Fed — headquartered at 10 Independence Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is responsible for the Third District of the Federal Reserve, which covers ...

. It suggests that gentrification can have positive effects for existing children in such changing neighborhoods by exposing them to higher opportunity, including attending and completing college. In addition, more highly educated people in communities can help to pay some expenses in neighborhood revitalization. As a response to recent gentrification in the area, a

community land trust A community land trust (CLT) is a nonprofit corporation that holds land on behalf of a place-based community, while serving as the long-term steward for affordable housing, community gardens, civic buildings, commercial spaces and other community ...

sponsored by WCRP was created to cover at least five homes in the area with 99-year transferable leases. Overall public reaction to gentrification remains mixed. While some residents are not bothered and outreach organizations are helping those in need, some residents have vandalized new properties, spraying anarchy symbols and other messages such as "(expletive) the rich. A number of historic buildings in the area, including the George W. Childs School,

David Landreth School David Landreth School is a historic school building located in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1889 after the original school caught fire (it had been on the nursery grounds of the D. Landreth Seed ...

, Marine Corps Supply Activity, Delaplaine McDaniel School, Jeremiah Nichols School, Walter George Smith School, and the former Francis M. Drexel School are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Name origin

'Point Breeze' was originally the name given to a spot on the west side of the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...

. Point Breeze Avenue then became the road that cut southwest to provide access to the spot from what was at the time Philadelphia proper. The avenue cuts diagonally through the neighborhood's rectilinear street grid.

Culture

Point Breeze is home to several Philadelphia

Mural Arts Program Mural Arts Philadelphia is a non-profit organization that supports the creation of public murals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1986 as Mural Arts Program, the organization was renamed in 2016. Having ushered more than 3,000 murals into ...

murals. In 1987

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...

collaborated with CityKids, a New York-based youth organization, to create a mural titled '' We the Youth'' located at 22nd and Ellsworth in Point Breeze. In 2013 the Mural Arts program restored the mural and a small community garden was built beneath it.

Education

Residents are zoned to the

School District of Philadelphia The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the 8th largest school district in the nation, by enrollment, serving over 200 ...

.Philadelphia Neighborhoods and Place Names, L-P
" City of Philadelphia. Retrieved on October 4, 2011. "East of Schuylkill River, north of Passyunk Avenue, south of Grays Ferry Avenue. " There are 4 catchment areas in Point Breeze. Delaplaine McDaniel School K–8 (named after the Quaker merchant) at 22nd and Moore serves the westernmost catchment, Edwin M. Stanton School K-8 (named after the Secretary of War under Lincoln) at 17th and Christian serves the northernmost catchment and George W. Childs School K–8 (named after the publisher) at 16th and Wharton serves the easternmost catchment. All of the students in these three catchment areas are eligible to attend

South Philadelphia High School South Philadelphia High School is a public secondary high school located in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of South Philadelphia, at the intersection of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue. The school serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of t ...

. (Norris S. Barratt middle school was formerly the name of the school at 16th and Wharton but it closed in 2011 due to declining enrollment. The former George W. Childs elementary school built in 1894 at 17th and Tasker was placed on the

in 1988 but was shuttered in 2010 and its fate remains uncertain.) The southernmost catchment of Point Breeze attends Stephen Girard School K–4 (named after the wealthy banker) at 18th and Snyder, Universal Institute Charter School at Vare 5–8 at 24th and Snyder and Universal Institute Charter School at Audenried 9-12 at 33rd and Tasker.

Infrastructure and government

The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...

operates the Point Breeze Post Office at 2500 Snyder Avenue. Engine 24 The Federal Express protecting the Breeze since 1872. The

Philadelphia Police Department The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD or Philly PD) is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The PPD is one of the oldest municipal police agencies, fourth largest ...

's 17th District station is at the northern terminus of Point Breeze Avenue where it intersects 20th and Federal. The

Free Library of Philadelphia The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system that serves Philadelphia. It is the 13th-largest public library system in the United States. The Free Library of Philadelphia is a non-Mayoral agency of the City of Philadelphia gover ...

operates two branches in Point Breeze: the South Philadelphia Branch at Broad and Morris and the Queen Memorial Library at 23rd and Federal (located in the Landreth Apartments for seniors)."The Free Library Of Philadelphia Branches"
/ref> On May 9, 2016 the $45.2 million, 96,000-square foot, LEED-certified South Philadelphia Community Health and Literacy Center officially opened at Broad and Morris Streets in Point Breeze. It houses the new South Philadelphia library branch, a CHOP pediatric primary care center, a Philadelphia Department of Public Health community health center, and a new DiSilvestro Playground and Recreation Center."South Philly center combines health, literacy, recreation"
Philly.com"CHOP opens new health center, library, rec center all in one"
The Metro Point Breeze has several indoor and outdoor recreational areas:"City of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation"
/ref> * Chew Playground and Recreation Facility, 19th and Washington * Wharton Square and Recreation Facility, 23rd and Wharton * Smith Playground and Recreation Facility/Wilson Park, 24th and Snyder

Transportation

Point Breeze is served by the

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five c ...

Broad Street Line The Broad Street Line (BSL), also known as the Broad Street subway (BSS), Orange Line, or Broad Line, is a subway line owned by the city of Philadelphia and operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The line ru ...

, accessible at Snyder, Tasker-Morris, and Ellsworth-Federal stations, and several SEPTA bus routes run through the neighborhood.

Notable residents

* Tariq Trotter, a.k.a.

Black Thought Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove (Ahmir Thompson). Regarded a ...

, rapper with Grammy award winning hip-hop group

The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

, from 23rd and Watkins *

Rasual Butler Rasual Butler (born Felix Rasual Cheeseborough; May 23, 1979 – January 31, 2018) was an American professional basketball player. In his 14-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career, he played for the Miami Heat, New Orleans Hornets, Los ...

, NBA basketball player, from 20th and Manton * Dwight Grant a.k.a.

Beanie Sigel Dwight Equan Grant (born March 6, 1974), better known by his stage name Beanie Sigel, is an American rapper from South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first became known for his association with Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records, releasing his debut ...

, rapper, from 24th and Sigel *

H. Patrick Swygert Haywood Patrick Swygert (born March 17, 1943) was the president of Howard University in Washington, DC from 1995 until 2008. Career He is a graduate of South Philadelphia High School and has been inducted into the SPHS Alumni Cultural Hall of Fa ...

, former president of

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

, from 15th and Wharton * The Heath Brothers, jazz trio * Gene Perret, TV writer, of Sigel St. *

Richie Rome Richie or Richy is a masculine given name or short form (hypocorism) of Richard. It is also a surname. First name *Richie Ashburn (1927–1997), American Major League Baseball player, member of the Hall of Fame *Richie Benaud (1930–2015), Austra ...

, producer, arranger and conductor, from 20th and *Anthony Burrell, dancer who taught and choreographed at Point Breeze Performing Arts Center, from 22nd and Dickinson *

Anna C. Verna Anna Cibotti Verna (April 15, 1931 – June 15, 2021) was the President of the Philadelphia City Council on which she served from 1975 to 2012, as the representative of the Second District, which encompasses most of South Philadelphia as well as m ...

, former president of

Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council, the legislative body of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, consists of ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large. The council president is elected by the members from among their number. Each ...

, from 22nd and Dickinson *John Blake, was an American jazz violinist, from 22nd and Oakford * Mamie Nichols, local community activist

References

External links

South Philadelphia Review

Philadelphia City Paper
- ''City Paper'' article on violence in the area

- ''City Paper'' article on greening efforts in the area
Philly Skyline photos of Point Breeze

Historic Photographs of Point Breeze
''Philly''History.org
National Shrine of Saint Rita of Cascia
US Catholic reliquary for

Rita of Cascia Rita of Cascia, born Margherita Lotti (1381 – 22 May 1457), was an Italian widow and Augustinian nun venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. After Rita's husband died, she joined an Augustinian community of religious sisters, whe ...

{{Authority control Neighborhoods in Philadelphia South Philadelphia