Haddington is a neighborhood in West Philadelphia. It is bounded on the east by 52nd Street, on the west by 63rd Street, on the north by Girard Avenue, and on the south by Chestnut Street. Prior to the 19th century, this area was mostly uninhabited. During the 19th century, the area became a kind of industrial village and most likely began to be called Haddington, possibly after Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, UK. In 1890, a single developer and investor, William Smith, purchased land in the area and encouraged the use of the name of Haddington. Throughout the 1890s, Smith built both commercial and residential structures which took the place of the older industrial structures. Between 1903 and 1907, the Market-Frankford Elevated line was constructed in West Philadelphia. The train line had a stop within this neighborhood, which brought in a variety of new residents and the need to develop the area. The most concentrated development in this area took place from 1909 to 1915, when many rowhouses were built in the colonial and classical revival styles. Today almost all of the homes that were built by 1927 remain standing, making it the best preserved example of development during the Elevated’s construction. This predominately African-American neighborhood has fallen on hard times but appears to be improving.
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