Parkside and Centennial District Walking Tour
Tickets: $10
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About
Join the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Michael Burch (science educator, community organizer, and founder of the Parkside Journal) for a two-mile walking tour of the Parkside neighborhood.
Parkside. The name says it all – it’s the neighborhood beside West Fairmount Park. Similarly to Strawberry Mansion on the other side of the Schuylkill, Parkside is where the city grid meets the greenspace, buffered by a boulevard of grand homes facing the park. Much of the Parkside neighborhood was built during the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. Originally populated by German-Americans and Jewish immigrants of Russian descent, after World War II, the Great Migration coupled with ‘white flight’ transformed Parkside into a predominantly African-American neighborhood, which it remains to this day. In 1983, community organizers had the neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its cultural legacy and many fine examples of Victorian architecture.
Tour highlights include:
-Smith Memorial Arch
-Parkside Apartments (when built it was one of the tallest apartment buildings in the city)
-Christ Community Baptist Church (built from an old synagogue)
-Lansdowne Apartment Building (built in 1897)
-Centennial Commons
-Philadelphia Stars Negro League Memorial Park and mural
TICKET PRICE: $10
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:
PARKING/GETTING THERE: There is plenty of free parking available in the park. As always, never leave valuables in your car! If you are traveling by public transit, the nearest station is at Parkside Ave and 40th Street. The nearest Indego bike station is roughly a half-mile away at the Philadelphia Zoo (1046 North 34th Street).
QUESTIONS? Please reach out to [email protected].
Enjoy our programs? Play it forward for Philly parks! Fairmount Park Conservancy’s Fair Play Campaign is creating healthy park infrastructure, expanding people-centered programs, and preparing our organization for the future. Learn more and get involved at fairplayphilly.org
Parkside. The name says it all – it’s the neighborhood beside West Fairmount Park. Similarly to Strawberry Mansion on the other side of the Schuylkill, Parkside is where the city grid meets the greenspace, buffered by a boulevard of grand homes facing the park. Much of the Parkside neighborhood was built during the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. Originally populated by German-Americans and Jewish immigrants of Russian descent, after World War II, the Great Migration coupled with ‘white flight’ transformed Parkside into a predominantly African-American neighborhood, which it remains to this day. In 1983, community organizers had the neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its cultural legacy and many fine examples of Victorian architecture.
Tour highlights include:
-Smith Memorial Arch
-Parkside Apartments (when built it was one of the tallest apartment buildings in the city)
-Christ Community Baptist Church (built from an old synagogue)
-Lansdowne Apartment Building (built in 1897)
-Centennial Commons
-Philadelphia Stars Negro League Memorial Park and mural
TICKET PRICE: $10
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:
PARKING/GETTING THERE: There is plenty of free parking available in the park. As always, never leave valuables in your car! If you are traveling by public transit, the nearest station is at Parkside Ave and 40th Street. The nearest Indego bike station is roughly a half-mile away at the Philadelphia Zoo (1046 North 34th Street).
QUESTIONS? Please reach out to [email protected].
Enjoy our programs? Play it forward for Philly parks! Fairmount Park Conservancy’s Fair Play Campaign is creating healthy park infrastructure, expanding people-centered programs, and preparing our organization for the future. Learn more and get involved at fairplayphilly.org
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