In the first half of the nineteenth century Logan Square began to develop. In 1825, city council named six squares - Logan square was named after James Logan, William Penn's Secretary and Philadelphia Mayor from 1722 to 1723.
In the 1850s, factories developed in Logan Square, taking advantage of the resources along the Schuylkill River. With the factories came immigrants and the creation of row homes.
The Pennsylvania Railroad built their transportation viaduct along Filbert Street known as the "Chinese Wall." Finished in 1894, the Chinese Wall separated Logan Square from Market Street.
The Chinese Wall prevented access from Logan Square to the rest of Philadelphia. From this point on, the area around 22nd and Arch Streets entered into a period of decline.
The Chinese Wall prevented access from Logan Square to the rest of Philadelphia. From this point on, the area around 22nd and Arch Streets entered into a period of decline.
In the 1890s, the City of Philadelphia built the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to model the Champs Elysees in Paris. The Parkway was a wide, landscaped avenue to be the site of the arts and culture of Philadelphia. Logan Square sits at one end of the Parkway. During the creation of the Parkway, 1300 residential and commercial buildings were demolished - pushing the working class into the city center. The Parkway was completed in 1917.
The Logan Square neighborhood remained relatively isolated and blighted until the 1950s. During the Urban Renewal movement Logan Square became the neighborhood we see today. In 1952, the first luxury apartments began to emerge and that same year, the Chinese Wall along Filbert Street was demolished. In its place, JFK Boulevard was built. Over the next 60 years, Logan Square developed into a residential neighborhood with many high-end apartments and condominiums.
Maps shown above were found using Philadelphia GeoHistory.
History was discovered on the Logan Square Neighborhood Association website.
History was discovered on the Logan Square Neighborhood Association website.