Welcome!
This is a page dedicated to the small section in University City, West Philadelphia, known as Spruce Hill. I have lived here for many years.
Why do I love Spruce Hill? Two reasons. First, I grew up in the Midwest. Nothing wrong with the Midwest, but it's good to experience some other places--true? Second, my favorite hobby is reading. History was always my favorite subject, and when I studied United States history I developed a certain picture of "the East" from reading about the rise of urban places in the 19th century. The Midwest had Chicago, but, hey, I was a kid then, and all the pictures in the textbooks showed East Coast cities. Could there have ever been a more dynamic period of time?
Eventually, I had an opportunity to do graduate work in American history at the University of Pennsylvania. At some point, early on in my education, I had learned that Philadelphia had been an important publishing center for books and magazines aimed at a newly emergent female middle class. That made the city seem intriguing and modern. Once I moved here, I became conscious of how much my thinking about the past, and about 19th century urban America, had been influenced by various books and articles I had read long ago. What an experience it has been to live in this city and to also see its history all around me.
Like many students in the area, I settled in University City, so called because of the presence of colleges and universities in this part of town: not only the University of Pennsylvania, but also Drexel University, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, the Restaurant School, and, not too distantly, Temple University. The area, located due west of Center City, offers a large supply of off-campus housing, much of it in the homes of this old streetcar suburb which housed the business and professional people who built homes here in the late 19th century.
Who lived in these grand houses? A look at the 1880 U.S. census for enumeration district 573, Philadelphia County, which includes my immediate neighborhood, shows that many of the large homes were occupied by physicans, lawyers, mill owners, and merchants and their families--and their servants. But not all the inhabitants of the area were well to do. Again, looking at 1880, a building at 4129 Chestnut Street housed a family of 7 and their 10 boarders. The boarders were identified as conductors, car drivers, servants, and dress makers--working people, as are many of the neighborhood residents today. In recent decades, the area has seen a resurgence of middle-class families who appreciate the proximity to downtown. The new Penn Alexander School at 4209 Spruce Street has been another factor in recent neighborhood growth.
Time does not permit me to present as much of the history of my neighborhood as there is to tell. Visitors to this website are referred to the University City Historical Society for discussion of Spruce Hill and the surrounding neighborhoods contained within University City. There are numerous sources of information on restaurants, apartment rentals, schools, transit options--which include SEPTA buses 21 and 42, the Market-Frankford el, and several subway-surface lines (yes! the trolleys still operate!) and other aspects of life in Spruce Hill which I have only touched on here. For starters, let me suggest that if you are thinking of moving to the area, the University City District, a community development organization established in 1997, and the weekly newspaper, the University City Review, offer lots of information resources for prospective incoming residents. For my part, let me share some of my own sense of what it is like to live in Spruce Hill and enjoy some of the features which characterize normal everyday life here.