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PRECIOUS PLACES
COMMUNITY HISTORY PROJECT APPLICATION
Group or organization:
Manayunk Neighborhood Council
Address: PO BOX
4667, Philadelphia, PA 19127
Telephone: 215-483-2553
Web: manayunkcouncil.org
Contact Person:
Gretjen Clausing Email: gretjen@localnet.com
Secondary Contact Person:
Jane Glenn Email: jane@shady.com
Organizational Background
Information
1. Give a brief history
of your organization or group:
Manayunk Neighborhood Council
is a not-for-profit civic association founded in the 1950's and incorporated
in 1970. We are a community organization for the residents of Manayunk
and Roxborough.
2. What does your
organization do on a day-to-day basis?
We hold monthly meetings where
we present officials, developers, and other professionals tospeak on community
issues and help residents. We work with residents and city and state agencies
to improve the quality of live in the community. Our group distributes
a monthly newsletter informing constituents of events and issues. We also
represent residents at zoning hearings, manage the Friends of Pretzel
Park, and Manayunk Tree Tenders.
3. With whom do you work? (i.e., community residents,
funders, businesses, institutions, etc.)
We work for residents which requires us to work with
businesses, developers, city and state officials, and other organizations.
4. Do you work with other
community-based organizations?
Please describe a recent project/activity.
We work with Manayunk Development Corporation on improving
Pretzel Park and to correct some of the problems the recent revitalization
of Main Street has caused. We also work with neighboring civics, Central
Roxborough Civic, Ridge Park Civic, Wissahickon Interested Citizens, and
Wissahickon Neighbors, on common issues. We joined Friends of the Manayunk
Canal and the Sierra Club in our fight to stop 430 apartments from being
built in the floodway of the Schuylkill River on Venice Island.
Project Recommendations
1. Which specific
Philadelphia neighborhood(s) or place(s) do you recommend for the Precious
Places Project? Briefly explain why you chose this place.
We have selected the site of the
Manayunk Club, also known as "Fairview Cottage", situated atop the Manayunk
Cliffs overlooking the Schuylkill River. From its lofty promontory one
can view the entire history of the region named Manayunk, where the original
native people of the Lenni Lenape tribe lived and died when European settlers
claimed ownership of the land. History of the parcel of land on which
"Fairview Cottage" stands can be traced back to 1681 when William Penn
was given the Schuylkill River as payment of a debt to his father by Charles
II of England. The site held a mansion which was significant for the architecture
and history of Philadelphia. It was the home in the 1800's, successively,
of three of the most successful and prominent mill owners of the region
(and, therefore, among the most prosperous and influential of Philadelphia
businessmen) and, was the last remaining of the hilltop mansions of Manayunk.
It exemplified the economic and historical heritage of the community.
Fairview Cottage stood for nearly a century and a half. Known most recently
as the Manayunk Club, it was an established and familiar visual feature
in the landscape. Its prominent location and visibility give it the status
of landmark to those who live in Manayunk and in surrounding communities.
2. What is the exact
location of this neighborhood or place?(List street names and boundaries.)
The address was 450 Lyceum Avenue.
The access from Lyceum Avenue was destroyed years ago. The site is accessible
via Gay Street from Fleming Street, between Lyceum and Green Lane, and
by the Gay Street steps dropping to Silverwood Street below.
3. What historic information
should be most remembered about this place or neighborhood?
Fairview Cottage had been through
many changes. After the rich moved elsewhere, it was used by St. John
s church and for a few years as their high school. It was at one time
a speakeasy and most recently it was an after hours drinking club.
4. What is the most
interesting story to tell about this place or neighborhood? (Please be
concise.)
There are many stories but the most interesting today
is that Fairview Cottage, after it had been deemed historic, burned to
the ground a few years ago. The police determined it was arson but no
one was ever arrested. Developers have eyed the site for its panoramic
views and now the property is slated to become 11 townhouses and will
sit next to a 67 unit apartment complex already under construction. This
is just one of many large upscale housing development projects in the
works that are eating up the remaining green spaces in this already densely
populated neighborhood, the most publicized being the apartments on Venice
Island, land acknowledged to be in the flood plain. And with the site
set for development Manayunk and Roxoborough residents will no longer
have access to this beautiful vista of the river valley which gives them
a real sense of place within the region.
Community Description
1. What are the primary
ethnicities of people living in the surrounding area? Please give approximate
percentages if you know them.
| Total population: |
3,970
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| White |
3,426
|
86.3%
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| African American |
397
|
10.0%
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| American Indian |
16
|
0.4%
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| Asian |
55
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1.4%
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| Other |
76
|
2.9%
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2. How would you
describe the economic status of the neighborhood: poor, working class,
middle class, wealthy, very mixed.
Historically the neighborhood was working class and over
75 percent of the homes were owner occupied. Recently there has been an
influx of college students and young professionals and the area is about
50 percent rentals.
3. In five years,
what changes might there be to this neighborhood or place? (Comment on
the condition of the buildings, streets, landscaping, businesses, residents.)
The building, sadly, is gone. The developer has promised
to landscape the townhouses. The wooded lot next to the site, across Gay
Street, is history as well. It has an apartment complex near completion.
The entrance posts and the Gay Street Steps may be the only reminders
to people of what existed there at one time.
4. Is there a widely
remembered person, place, or event associated with this neighborhood or
place? (positive or negative)
The Manayunk Club was a very special place to many residents,
each with their own association. Some enjoyed the view, others remembered
when it was part of St. John s high school, and many enjoyed visiting
the club. The site exemplifies the economic and historical heritage of
Manayunk. It was an established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood
by virtue of its unique, striking and longstanding location and fascinating
history.
5. Are there any special
buildings, parks, murals, historic streets, artifacts, or landmarks unique
about this neighborhood or place?
The most remarkable thing about
this site is the view overlooking Manayunk and the Schuylkill River.
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