Modern day Spring Garden is a diverse, mixed-use neighborhood. Low-cost apartments situated over shops are next to expensive condominiums (including the old Wills Eye Hospital--see image above) and the Julia R. Masterman School sits right in the middle of it. The diversity of the neighborhood residents, as shown in the slideshow of infographics from Social Explorer (http://www.socialexplorer.com) below, results in an amazing array of cultural institutions, businesses and gathering places.
Modern-day Spring Garden boasts a range of community assets and resources. Several of the city’s most famous institutions lie immediately outside the neighborhood, including The Barnes Foundation, the central branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Within the neighborhood there is the Philadelphia Community College, a number of places of worship, several public and private schools, and the Roberto Clemente Playground, which includes a water attractions in the summer, and “The Spring Gardens”— a community garden established in 1996 after the entire city block was cleared.
Behind Masterman and one block east, there is a community performance space called "Performance Garage" which offers space rentals to dance and performance groups. Originally started by a professional dance company in 2001 as a community space, the Performance Garage transitioned to a rental space after financial difficulties almost forced the company to leave. The community banded together to save the space and today they offer adult dance and fitness classes, children's classes and summer camps, and community performances. A representative from P.G. touted their active involvement in the community through outreach to local elementary schools though unfortunately, there is no connection with any of the area high schools.
The neighborhood is serviced by a number of bus routes, and has two stops on the Broad Street Line (BSL), Spring Garden and Fairmount, the former being renovated in 2011. Today it is a busy mix of apartments, town homes, schools, and businesses that provides a supportive community for its residents and for Masterman students who choose to spend time there.