Center City, Philadelphia

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Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the Central Business District, and central neighborhoods of the City ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It's 2005 population of over 88,000 makes it the third most populous downtown in the United States. This number can rise to over 235,000 during the working hours due to the daily influx of commuters and tourists.

Contents 1 Boundaries 2 Neighborhood features 3 Economy 4 Government and infrastructure 5 Diplomatic missions 6 Center City Residents' Association 7 Gallery 8 Education 8.1 Primary and secondary schools 8.1.1 Public schools 8.1.1.1 School District of Philadelphia 8.1.1.2 Charter schools 8.1.2 Private school 8.1.2.1 Roman Catholic parochial schools 8.1.2.2 Other private schools 8.2 Public libraries 9 Transportation 9.1 Major highways 9.2 Local public transit 9.3 Intercity public transit 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Boundaries

Center City is bounded by South Street to the south, the Delaware River to the east, the Schuylkill River to the west and either Vine Street or Spring Garden Street to the north (though the 88,000 population figure corresponds to an expanded area of roughly Poplar Street south to Christian Street).^[1][2] If Vine Street is considered the northern border, then Center City occupies the boundaries of the city before Philadelphia County was added in 1854. The Center City District, which has special powers of taxation, uses a complicated, irregularly shaped boundary that includes much of this area but also extends beyond it.^[3] The Philadelphia Police Department patrols two districts located within Center City. The two patrol districts serving Center City are the 6th and 9th districts.^[4]

[edit] Neighborhood features

Among Center City's neighborhoods and districts are Penn's Landing, Old City, Society Hill, South Street/Head House District, Washington Square West, Market East, Chinatown, Logan Circle, the Museum District (located along the Ben Franklin Parkway), Rittenhouse Square, Fitler Square, the Avenue of the Arts (South Broad Street), and Jewelers' Row.

Center City is home to most of Philadelphia's tallest buildings, including Philadelphia's City Hall, the tallest masonry building in the world and until 1987 the tallest in Philadelphia, as well as the tallest building in the world for seven years. In March 1987, One Liberty Place broke the gentlemen's agreement not to exceed the height of the statue of William Penn atop City Hall. Since the completion of One Liberty Place, no Philadelphia major-league sports team had won a world championship for the next two decades, a phenomenon known as the "Curse of Billy Penn." In an effort to reverse the curse, a 3-foot statue of Penn was affixed to the top of the Comcast Center upon its completion as the city's new tallest building in 2007. On October 29, 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series, effectively ending the "curse".

Seven other skyscrapers now top the statue, including One Liberty Place's little sister, Two Liberty Place. In 2005, construction began on the Comcast Center, which was completed in 2007 and is now the tallest building in Pennsylvania, 30 feet taller than One Liberty Place. Three proposed buildings — Mandeville Place, 1441 Chestnut, and Bridgeman's View Tower — would also be taller than City Hall.

Other Center City skyscrapers include the Mellon Bank Center and the Verizon Tower, which houses a traffic camera used by the Philadelphia branch of the Westwood One MetroNetworks traffic service.

Across the street from City Hall is a Masonic Temple, the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, a legacy of the Founding Fathers and signers of the Declaration of Independence, many of whom were Freemasons; such luminaries include George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.

While Philadelphia's population has declined since the 1950s, Center City's rose 10% between 1990 and 2000.

In 2007, the city designated the area bounded by 11th Street, Broad Street, Chestnut Street and Pine Street as the Gayborhood.^[5]

[edit] Economy

Sunoco has its headquarters in the BNY Mellon Center.^[6] Cigna has its corporate headquarters in Two Liberty Place.^[7] Aramark is headquartered in Center City.^[8] Comcast is headquartered in the Comcast Center.^[9] The law firm Cozen O'Connor has its headquarters in Center City.^[10]

Lincoln National Corporation moved its headquarters from Indiana to Philadelphia in 1999.^[11] In Philadelphia Lincoln was headquartered in the West Tower of Centre Square in Center City.^[12] In 2007 the company moved 400 employees, including its top executives, to Radnor Township from Philadelphia.^[11]

[edit] Government and infrastructure

The Philadelphia Fire Department operates 4 Fire Stations in the Center City area :

• Engine 1(Now Deactivated)/Ladder 5
• Engine 8(Now Deactivated)/Snorkel 2
• Engine 11
• Engine 20/Ladder 23
• Squirt 43/Ladder 9

The Federal Bureau of Prisons Northeast Region Office is in Center City.^[13]

[edit] Diplomatic missions

The Consulate-General of Italy in Philadelphia is located in the 1026 Public Ledger Building at 150 South Independence Mall West.^[14] The Consulate-General of Panama in Philadelphia is located in Suite 1 at 124 Chestnut Street.^[15] The Consulate-General of Israel in Philadelphia is located on the 18th Floor at 1880 John F. Kennedy Boulevard.^[16] The Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia is located in Suite 310 at 111 South Independence Mall East.^[17]

The Consulate-General of the Dominican Republic in Philadelphia was located in Suite 216 in the Lafayette Building at 437 Chestnut Street.^[18] It closed on November 7, 2005.^[19]

[edit] Center City Residents' Association

The Center City Residents' Association, originally formed in 1947 to prevent Rittenhouse Square from being turned into a parking lot, is a primary advocate for quality of life issues in Center City.

[edit] Gallery

Modern architecture in Penn Center section of Center City.	Jewelers' Row	Curtis Building	City Hall
Mikveh Israel Cemetery	Kimmel Center	Pennsylvania Hospital	Kimmel Center
KYW/WYSP Building (now demolished)	Inquirer Building	First Bank of the United States	Reading Terminal
Please Touch Museum (now relocated at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, West Philadelphia)	Center City sunset from West Philadelphia	View down Baltimore Avenue east towards Center City

[edit] Education

[edit] Primary and secondary schools

[edit] Public schools

[edit] School District of Philadelphia

Residents are within the School District of Philadelphia.

K-8 schools that have attendance boundaries in Center City and areas around Center City include:^[20]

• Chester A. Arthur
• Bache-Martin
• Albert M. Greenfield
• William H. Harrison
• Andrew Jackson
• General Philip Kearny
• James R. Ludlow
• General George A. McCall
• William M. Meredith
• George W. Nebinger
• Spring Garden
• Edwin M. Stanton
• Laura Wheeler Waring

Neighborhood high schools for Center City and the Center City area, located outside of Center City, include:^[21][22][23]

• Furness High School^[24]
• Benjamin Franklin High School
• South Philadelphia High School^[25]

Other high schools include:

• Bodine High School for International Affairs
• Constitution High School for American Studies
• Franklin Learning Center High School
• Parkway Center City High School
• Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology
• Science Leadership Academy

Combined middle and high schools include:

• Julia R. Masterman School

[edit] Charter schools

Charter schools not operated by the School District of Philadelphia include [1]:

• Grades 1-12:
  • Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School
• Grades 6-12:
  • World Communications Charter School
• Grades 8-12:
  • Freire Charter School
• Grades 9-12:
  • Architecture and Design Charter School
  • Mastery Charter High School
  • Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter School
• Grades K-8:
  • Laboratory Charter School of Communication and Languages
• Grades 6-8:
  • Wakisha Charter School
• Grades K-7:
  • Christopher Columbus Charter School
  • Independence Charter School
  • People for People Charter School
• Grades Pre-K-6:
  • Russell Byers Charter School
• Grades K-6:
  • Universal Institute Charter School
• Grades K-5:
  • Folk Arts Treasures Charter School

[edit] Private school

[edit] Roman Catholic parochial schools

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia operates the following Roman Catholic parochial schools in the Center City area [2]:

• Grades 9-12:
  • J. W. Hallahan Girls' High School
  • Roman Catholic High School for Boys
• Grades Pre-K-8:
  • St. Francis Xavier School
  • St. Peter the Apostle School
• Grades K-8:
  • St. Mary's Interparochial School
• Grades 1-8:
  • Holy Redeemer School

[edit] Other private schools

Other private schools in the Center City area include:

• Grades Pre-K-12:
  • Friends Select School
• Grades 9-12:
  • City Center Academy
  • St. Joseph's Preparatory School
• Grades Pre-K-8:
  • St. Peter's School
  • The Philadelphia School

[edit] Public libraries

The Free Library of Philadelphia operates the Parkway Central Library at 1901 Vine Street,^[26] the Independence Branch at 18 South 7th Street,^[27] the Philadelphia City Institute on the first floor and lower level of an apartment complex at 1905 Locust Street,^[28] and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at 919 Walnut Street.^[29]

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Major highways

• Interstate 76
• Interstate 95
• Interstate 676
• U.S. Route 30
• PA Route 3
• PA Route 611

[edit] Local public transit

• SEPTA
  • Market East Station (Regional Rail)
  • Suburban Station (Regional Rail)
  • Market-Frankford Line (2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 13th, and 15th Street stations)
  • Broad Street Line (Race-Vine, City Hall, Walnut-Locust, and Lombard-South stations on main line; Chinatown and 8th Street stations on Broad-Ridge Spur)
  • Subway-surface trolley lines (13th, 15th, 19th, and 22nd Street stations; all stations on Market Street)
  • Various bus routes (various stops)
• PATCO Speedline (8th & Market, 9-10th & Locust, 12-13th & Locust, and 15-16th & Locust Street stations)
• New Jersey Transit (various bus routes & stops)

[edit] Intercity public transit

• Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal (Greyhound, Peter Pan, and various Trailways buses)
• Megabus (6th & Market Streets)
• Various Chinatown bus lines (various operators & stops; most stops near 11th & Arch Streets)

Amtrak's primary Philadelphia station, 30th Street Station, is located immediately west of Center City, just across the Schuylkill River. SEPTA Regional Rail trains, New Jersey Transit Atlantic City Line trains, Market-Frankford Line trains, and subway-surface line trolleys also service 30th Street Station, and both Megabus and BoltBus stop on streets adjacent to the station.

[edit] See also

• Curtis Publishing Company
• Independence National Historical Park
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Center City, Philadelphia

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Center City District and Central Philadelphia Development Corporation
• How the 700 block of Market Street evolved
• Center City Residents' Association

v • d • e Neighborhoods of the Center City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Avenue of the Arts • Callowhill • Chinatown • Elfreth's Alley • Fitler Square • Franklintown • Jewelers' Row • Logan Square • Market East • Museum District • Old City • Penn Center • Penn's Landing • Rittenhouse Square • Society Hill • South Street • Washington Square West Center City • North Philadelphia • Northwest Philadelphia • The Northeast • South Philadelphia • Southwest Philadelphia • West Philadelphia

Coordinates: 39°57′07″N 75°09′50″W / 39.952°N 75.164°W / 39.952; -75.164