Hawthorne | PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future

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Hawthorne, once called Hawthorne Square, is a neighborhood in Central Philadelphia. The neighborhood extends from Broad Street to 11th Street and from South Street to Washington Avenue. The area is remembered as the previous home to the Ridgway Library, a huge public library which was modeled after the Parthenon and has been dated back to 1878. Without proper ventilation or air-conditioning, many books in the library were destroyed and as a result the library had to shut down. The building now facilitates the High School of the Creative and Performing arts. The area has seen numerous building developments in the past decade; most notable were the implosions of the MLK towers which once served as a public housing high-rise. The new MLK Plaza has won numerous awards and is probably the best example of HOPE VI housing in Philadelphia. The area is now seeing improvements from the ashes of the MLK towers, providing townhomes for rent and sale to low - moderate income families.

RESOURCES

Hawthorne Empowerment Coalition

South Philly Review on Hawthrone

Hope VI & MlK Plaza

High School of the Creative and Performing arts

Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza

MLK Plaza is a mixed-income HOPE VI residential area along 13th Street in the Hawthorne neighborhood of Philadelphia.

High School for Creative and Performing Arts

The Italian Market

Philadelphia's preeminent outdoor market has been the center of neighborhood activity in South Philadelphia.

Some of CDAG's concerns regarding a waterfront zoning overlay remain, as the deadline to get a draft to city council nears

Central Delaware Advocacy Group wants clarity about billboards and other non-accessory signs, how exceptions to a height-limit are granted, and the requirements for new development at key streets to make way for river access.

Ideas for the Columbia Avenue Connector project

Planners say a greener street with improved lighting at the underpass could better link Fishtown to the waterfront and PennTreaty Park. Some neighbors are concerned that too many trees could take up too many parking spaces. A compromise is in the works.

$19 million for Parkway, South Philly park

Improvements come from state and city coffers, as well as grants from the William Penn Foundation, the Knight Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts.