Historical Industrial Landscape

The purpose of this report is to interpret the industrial historical landscape of the Italian Market neighborhood of Philadelphia. My field study began at Montrose Street and Passyunk Avenue, west on Montrose Street, south on South 9th Street, west on Wharton Street, north on South 10th Street, east on Washington Avenue, north on South 9th Street, east on Catharine Street, south on Darien Street, east on Christian Street, south on South 8th Street, and east on Salter Street.

The Italian Market neighborhood of Philadelphia has historically and continues to be a center for distribution. Many of the businesses that comprise the area are privately owned. There is high density housing, which remains to be the most common type of housing in the area. There are new condominiums and houses being erected, which is approaching rather quickly and will be discussed in the entry on gentrification. There are many buildings that hold a record of their past functions in faded paint, such as a brick building on the corner of South 9th Street and Washington Avenue (as seen below).



Historically, the Italian Market was essentially that, an outdoor market within a neighborhood comprised of a new Italian immigrant population. It was a way to help immigrants hold jobs, establish residences, and slowly adapt to a new culture without having to abandon their own. The neighborhood was self-serving and there are imprints on the existing landscape that show that a person need not go too far to have access to daily necessities. There was a community hospital on the corner of South 10th Street and Carpenter Street until 1968 (photo below). The market, churches, businesses, and homes are all indications of the heavy immigrant influences on the area and were highly concentrated in a small number of blocks.



I also believe that the streets that surround the market are indications that the area was and continues to be home to heavy traffic due to distribution. Washington Avenue is a 4 lane street with parking on both sides that is usually filled with trucks making deliveries and pick-ups. South 11th Street between Bainbridge Street and Washington Avenue is also a 4 lane street with a high volume of delivery traffic.

In addition to being a center for distribution, the area is home to many food production businesses, which have long histories. Nearly every evening and early morning the area is overwhelmed with the smell of fresh baked breads, pastries, and pastas. Many of these businesses have been operating for 100 years or more and are very family oriented.

While many of the Italian businesses and residents remain, there has also been an influx of other immigrant populations into the area. Mexican and a variety of Asian businesses have taken over the neighborhood just south of Washington Avenue and even in the outdoor market itself. On the few occasions that I walked through the market taking photographs and notes, I only saw a maximum of 2 outdoor vendors of Italian descent. The remaining 10 to 12 outdoor food vendors were Mexican or Asian. The photos below show the close proximity of different ethnicities to one another. There has been a push toward calling the Italian Market the 9th Street Market and I would assume it is for this reason, that the Italian Market is more of a combination of ethnic markets all in one area.

In conclusion, much of the landscape is unchanged, but there are many recent developments in the area that are compromising the historical value of the area. There are still many imprints on the landscape that suggest the rich history of how the area developed into what it is today. While some people might view the area as run-down and dirty, it still holds a history that most areas have lost. I believe the area should receive more attention from the city as a landmark and should be given more funds to preserve places like this in the city.