Spring Garden, Philadelphia

Spring Garden is a neighborhood in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, close to Center City. It is an area where people live and many important cultural places can be found.

The homes in the northern part of Spring Garden are mostly three-story brick or brownstone houses built in the mid-to-late 1800s. These houses have different styles, such as Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, and Venetian Gothic. Some streets have small gardens in front of the houses.

South of Spring Garden Street, there are important places like the Rodin Museum, the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Barnes Foundation. Before Philadelphia became a single city, Spring Garden was its own district in Philadelphia County.

Boundaries

Spring Garden is a neighborhood in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located north of Benjamin Franklin Parkway and goes up to Fairmount Avenue, between Broad Street and the Schuylkill River. Some people think the neighborhood should also include the area up to Vine Street.

The main road in Spring Garden is Spring Garden Street, which runs from east to west. The area between Spring Garden Street and Vine Street, and between Broad Street and the Schuylkill River, is called Baldwin Park. The neighborhood is named after Matthias Baldwin Park, which is located in the center.

Demographics

Spring Garden is part of the 19130 ZIP Code, which also includes Fairmount and Francisville. In the year 2000, the area had a population of 22,252 people. Ten years later, the population grew by 10% to 24,870. The neighborhood is made up of many different groups of people, with most being white, followed by African American, Asian, and Hispanic communities.

Before Spring Garden became part of the city of Philadelphia, it was once a busy city on its own and was quite large in the United States during the 1850 Census.

History

Spring Garden has a long history, dating back to 1796 when it first appeared on a map as a small settlement between Vine Street and Buttonwood Lane. It was once part of Northern Liberties, a township north of the city, and was originally part of a farm established by William Penn. By the early 1800s, the area began to develop with new houses built in a grid pattern.

The neighborhood was officially named Spring Garden in 1813 and grew over time. It was once home to important factories, including the Baldwin Locomotive Works, before becoming the site of the Barnes Foundation museum today.

Infrastructure and government

Spring Garden is part of two city wards, the 15th and the 8th. Different leaders help each part of the neighborhood.

The area is also in two state house districts and one state senate district. Leaders help the community in these areas too.

The Spring Garden Civic Association helps keep the neighborhood tidy. It does things like sweeping streets and planting trees.

There are fun places in the neighborhood, like the Roberto Clemente Playground, which was updated in 2011 and has a splash area for kids. There is also a big community garden called "The Spring Gardens" where families can grow their own plants.

Transportation

Automobile

Spring Garden Street is the main road running east and west through the neighborhood. Broad Street borders it on the east, Vine Street on the south, and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Pennsylvania Avenue on the west.

Public transportation

The neighborhood has several public transport options run by SEPTA. Many bus routes and a subway connect Spring Garden to Center City and other parts of the city.

Broad Street subway

On the east side, the subway links the neighborhood to North Philadelphia, including Temple University, as well as City Hall, Walnut Street, and the Sports Complex. The Spring Garden station was updated in 2011 and is located at Broad Street and Spring Garden Street.

Bus route 33

The 33 bus goes south on 19th Street, then east along Market to Penn’s Landing. It returns west on John F. Kennedy Boulevard and north on 20th Street.

Bus route 2

The 2 bus travels south on 17th Street through Center City to South Philadelphia. It returns north on 16th Street.

Bus route 7

The 7 bus goes south on 23rd Street, turns southeast on Pennsylvania Avenue, and continues into Center City.

Bus route 48

The 48 bus runs south on 23rd Street, turns southeast on Pennsylvania Avenue, and continues into Center City, then returns north on 22nd Street.

Bus route 32

The 32 bus goes southeast on Pennsylvania Avenue, then east into Center City, and returns north on Broad Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.

Bus route 43

The 43 bus runs east and west along Spring Garden Street, going east to Front Street and north to Fishtown, or west across the Schuylkill to Lancaster Avenue.

Education

Spring Garden is part of the School District of Philadelphia. Many children in the area go to Laura Wheeler Waring Elementary School, but some also attend other schools like Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School. The neighborhood is home to Benjamin Franklin High School and the Franklin Learning Center. One of the city's best public high schools, the Julia R. Masterman School, is also located here. Students can choose to attend other special schools in Philadelphia through a special program.

Spring Garden has several private schools too. It is home to the J. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School. For boys, the Roman Catholic High School is just nearby. The St. Francis Xavier School, a Catholic school for younger students, is also in the neighborhood.

Churches

Spring Garden has many places of worship, including St. Andrew's Church, which is special because it is the only Lithuanian-Catholic church in the city. It is located at the corner of 19th and Wallace Streets. Other churches in the area include St. Francis Xavier Church at 24th and Green Streets, Olivet Covenant Presbyterian Church at 22nd and Mount Vernon Streets, Greater Canaan Church of God in Christ at 21st and Spring Garden, United for Christ Ministries on 21st Street, and Enon Baptist Church at 19th and Green Streets.