Looking Back to Look Forward l Philadelphia’s Italian Market Advisor Richard King Joanna Smerina, 2024
I am preserving & beautifying the Italian Market to honor its history and traditions.
The design will respect the past, but also allow the market to grow to increase its longevity and adapt it to work for future generations.
The goal is to create architectural components that support the community & maintains/ improves street life by activating public space.
Date: 1969
Location: 9th & Christian Street
Description: Man selling eggs in the Italian Market
Source: Temple University Libraries, Urban Archives
Park the car and then walk to Anthony’s first to get coffee before shopping.
Walk to pick up the veal cutlets from Cannulis, there is usually a line so we go here first.
We walk to Espositos to pick up steak.
Next stop is Fante’s
Take a walk past the Italian Market Visitor Center.
We stop at Cannulis and then continue on down 9th street.
We walk past multiple produce stands to stop at our favorite stand, Charlies Produce.
Finally we stop as Di Bruno’s to pick up some prosciutto and cheese before heading home.
Resident of the Italian market for 54 years & works at Visitor Center.
Here favorite part about 9th Street is the people. The store owners and the people that visit. She is always learning new things. She likes to see the old people and the new people interacting.
The Italian market has changed because old businesses are closing and new businesses are opening. Some of the staple businesses have stayed.
Cookie finds that the most popular times for people to go to the market are on Saturdays, and especially around Christmas and Easter.
Diversity is good for the market. The market is able to adapt with the times.
To cleanup the Italian market they pay for trash pickup. They have street cleaners 3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 8-10.
Cookie
9th Street
Agnes Agnes Sr.
Residents of the Italian Market all their lives and owned a business and lived on 9th street.
The name “Italian Market” was given by others. However all locals call the area “9th Street”
Back in the day, all the neighbors would come over. When Agnes was a young girl in grade school, she would see live goats in windows. She would see lambs slaughtered, it was the way of life. Everybody knew everyone, and it felt very safe.
Families were very close. People would sit in front of the house and all eyes were on the street. People would have friendly conversation. People worked very hard, their fingers to the bone. Currently the Mexican people revived the market. Cultures intertwine, Italians accepted them.
When the older generation passes on, younger generations need to continue the values, holidays and traditions. Modern children of today do not have the warm feeling of family. Women are working, people marrying outside and intermingle.
“Geno’s was founded by one of Philly’s own, Joey Vento in 1966. The man had two boxes of steaks, a few hot dogs, and $6 in his pocket when he turned on the grills at 9th and Passyunk.”
“Joey Vento passed away in 2011. Geno has since taken over the shop and is carrying on Joey’s legacy by serving up the famous Philly cheese steak.”
Geno’s Steaks
“Business was booming in 1971 when Joey and his wife Eileen had a baby boy. Always one to do things his own way, Joey decided to name his son (yep, you guessed it) Geno. As soon as he was old enough, Geno was right there beside his dad, learning about the family business. From 17 on, you could find him at the shop, making the famous Philly cheese-steak, taking orders, and meeting with customers – learning every aspect of the business Joey built.”
“Pat’s King of Steaks was founded by Pat Olivieri in 1930. Pat had a modest hot-dog stand at the base of the famous Italian Market in South Philadelphia.”
“Nearly 90 years later, Pat’s is still owned and operated by the Olivieri family at our only location in South Philadelphia.”
Pat’s Steaks
“One day he decided to have something quite different for lunch, so he sent for some chopped meat from the butcher shop. He cooked the meat on his hot dog grill, placed the meat onto an Italian roll, and dressed it with some onions. Just as he went to take a bite, a cab driver who ate a hot dog everyday asked what he had there. Pat said that it was his lunch. The cabbie insisted that Pat make him one.”
Began in late 1800s when Italian Immigrants started settling in Philadelphia 1915 business association
Interior of the Fiorella Sausage Company.
Photograph. Circa 1920.
Fiorella Brothers Sausage Company
Photographs. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Image from the Starr Centre Association’s 1909 annual report. The photo’s caption reads “A Glimpse of the Italian District.”
Photograph. 1909. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
A man examines a sheep for sale at the Italian market while others watch. Picture is from the 1930’s.
Allen Anderman, 6, poses with a variety of cheeses at the Italian market.
Italian-Americans greeted the news of Italy’s surrender during World War II with an impromptu outdoor celebration on the 700 block on S. Darien Street. Wine flowed freely. Photograph. September, 1943. Philadelphia Record photograph morgue. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
A clerk feeds a goat while a prospective buyer and her baby pick out a goat. The goats are being sold at the Italian market.
1940
1947
Shoppers walk around the Italian market.
General view of the Italian Market
June 1967 Italian Market Trolley Line
Philip Mancuso poses with cheeses at his fathers store in the Italian market.
Frank Rizzo and Thacher Longstreth campaign on 9th Street in the Italian market
1977 1971 Crowds walk around the Italian market. 1971
Sen. Edward Kennedy reaches across a stock of produce to shake hands with a merchant during a campaign stop on April 19, 1980, in Philadelphia. The then-Democratic candidate for president toured the Italian Market.
Bill Mignucci sells sausage during Italian market Sunday 1978 1959
“Strike by drivers for independent trash haulers has left a mountain of garbage on the sidewalk in front of the produce firm owned by G. P. Giordano at 9th st. and Washington ave.”
“Winterkill” starring Elizabeth Taylor, Anthony Perkins, and Jeff Bridges films in the Italian Market 1974
New senior housing developments Piazza created from empty lots
1915 business association 2015 cent anni
2020
Frank Rizzo Mural removed
Vacant Lots from covid
Anastasios seafood tore down due to developers
Date: 1959
Description: Peter Mancuso and his son Philip hold a 4 foot long, 150 pound piece of provolone cheese at their store in the Italian market.
Date: 1969
Description: Man cutting onions.
Date: 2023
Description: Claudio’s Cheese
Date: 1969
Description: Man sitting at produce stand in the Italian Market.
Date: 1959
Description: Men with bushels of peaches at the Italian Market
Date: 1969
Description: Men selecting produce in the Italian Market
Date: 1969
Description: Fruit vendor at the Italian Market
Date: 1969
Description: Tomato vendor in the Italian Market.
Date: 1969
Description: Men with bushels of peaches at the Italian Market
The two best parts about 9th street... The food and the people!!! This page illustrates some of the many historic photos of 9th street throughout history . There is also the greased pole climbing tradition during the 9th street festival. Teams climb the pole in order to win prosciutto and cheese on top! This is a fun activity that unifies the neighborhood! Within my design I incorporated a greased pole fountain as a reminder for the community about this great day that happens annually.
When exploring 9th street, there is this feeling that you get when you are there. It is a feeling that is hard to describe in words. It in intangible. It is all of the different moving parts and chaos coming together to create one beautiful neighborhood. Sometimes when people would go there, they told me they don’t understand why I love it so much. In my design I want to show people how special 9th street truly is! I want my design to help them see it too!
The aim of Nonna’s in Training is to keep alive the passing down of technique and knowledge from one generation to another , and from one culture to another. Every day we are open (Fri-Sun.) We have a different international Nonna cooking at Enoteca Maria, and now from 12-3, they will be teaching how they make their signature dishes.
Cooking Classes
My grandmother had been the repository of our family culture and identity . And I found out that, like her, millions of grandmothers all over the world pass down their heritage to their grandchildren. At Enoteca several Italian grandmothers from different Italian regions cook their own menus on a rotating schedule.
“Our Market” is a community-centered, multi-layered, multi-year public art project created and led by local artist Michelle Angela Ortiz. “Our Market” is focused on supporting the (im)migrant vendors, business owners, and neighbors that work and reside in the 9th Street Market.
Get food from distribution area Drive back to the market
Unload Put produce on stands Storage in nearby garages
City Requirements for Vendors - You need a Curb Market License to sell goods from a non-permanent structure on the curb in the South 9th Street Curb Market, also known as the Italian Market. The Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) issues this license. Vacant curb market spaces are issued by the local business association. Contact the business association for more information.
Square surrounded by buildings
Mural Artwork painted at Specified Site Locations
Problem - Abandoned lots are an eye sore, dangerous, and deterring people from visiting 9th street
Solution - Create a pocket park
These 9th street interventions illustrate in red what I am adding to 9th street. I am not changing much of what is on 9th street. It is already a successful street. I am just adding to it. These are the locations where I am adding banners. I am also adding better plantings and seating to areas that already had them previously.
People walk in a very organic way and j walk. Traffic is very slow down 9th street, there is a lot of activity on the street. Throughout history questions have been raised if this should be a pedestrian only street.
I am proposing Pedestrian Only: Saturday & Sunday 9am-3pm
Year of houses built in Italian Market
Population Density
Inclement Weather
Businesses are closing
Lack of seating
No place to learn how to cook
Vacant lots & No night life
Not enough parking
Vacant small lots
No public bathrooms
Opportunity for canopies
Business Incubator
Opportunity for benches
Rich existing culture & access to ingredients
Public piazza space
Added underground parking
Pocket park opportunity
Added public spaces with amenities
Weaknesses Opportunities
Musical Event Space
Mister Johns Music needs a better performance space for the kids.
Clay studio is added so that users can learn how to make bowls and plates for food they buy at the market.
Art galleries can be utilized by community member looking for a creative space. There are many artists that create pieces based off the Italian Market
Classrooms can be used by the adjacent school or for the community and after school programs.
A kitchen with public RR is provided at the piazza to allow for protection from the weather and comfort during Piazza activities.
Exterior view entering 9th street square. The pitched roofs supported by steel structures speak to one another. Each tube steel structure is painted a different color to represent a sense of way finding for the community.
This view captures the overhead canopies that illustrates photos of families that live in the market. This gives the community a sense of ownership within their spaces. In this view you are looking at the transition space between sites. These 2 streets connect and create a pedestrian experience.
The section illustrates a design that is very considerate of human scale. The pavilions do not over power the users. There is a relationship that the buildings have with the adjacent spaces. The more dramatic pitches signify public spaces. Columns were strategically placed on a grid and carry up from the parking below. Although the design seems simple from above, everything is connected skilfully below.
This transition space captures framed view of the greased pole fountain. It also allows you to see vegetation on either side as well as built in seating. The ground and planter walls are a mosaic tile material, derived from Philly’s magic gardens.
The greased pole climbing is occurring! This design adds a kitchen to the back of the piazza with public restrooms as well as balconies for viewing. There is also a mural of the pole climbing on the empty building next door. There is tiered seating in front of the mural where spectators are standing on as well.
When on 9th street you approach the site and you are able to see glimpses of it until you turn the corner. Each of these sites is a little stop along a walk down the street.
Site Conditions
9thStreet
Program Inspiration
Whether it is green roofs, balconies above parking, or pitched roofs, there is a relationship between spaces . The kitchen building shows the wine tasting and underground speakeasy spaces. On the ground floor there are cooking classes where there is an instructions nook and then a prep area. Finally on the top floor you have a restaurant and gelato station. In the restaurant, a different Nonna comes in each week to teach you about what she is cooking. This will allow for the Italian market to continue to grow, and sustain its traditions.
Section Through 9th Street Kitchen Site
Basement Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Ground Floor Plan
Cooking classes can help keep traditions alive, and allows for people to continue to frequent the market
The wine cellar provides the market with some night time activities.
Something that is uncommon for this area.
Gelato area in the kitchen allows for use of the upstairs rooftop terrace, and relates to Italian Culture.
Exterior classrooms provides space to people to continue the traditions that comes with seasonal activities.
The exterior classroom space allows for seasonal activities to take place, in this case, they are jarring sauce! The kitchen building in the background has an interactive wall. On this wall, users sit outside while peering inside to watch what is happening on the inside of the building. On neighborhood front porch users gather, and feel like it is their own front porch, this develops a sense of ownership and community!
This view shows gardening occurring in the neighborhood backyard. Since a lot of families do not have backyards in this neighborhood, they are able to get their own plot of land here and enjoy the gardening. Some herbs can also be used for cooking classes. You have a view of the building and notice the large pitched entry which signifies public space.
Community gardening allows for people to garden together because most people do not Storage is provided for gardening equipment.
The linear nature of the facade represents the rhythm and repetition of the neighboring row homes. Vertical lines represents party walls. Their is a central public element that represents the entry of the neighborhood front porch. The roof line of the building is sloped to water vegetation. The remaining water is harvested through the rain barrels and is recycled to water buckets and watering cans for the garden. Built in seating on the walls are inside and on the outside to allow for a relationship between interior and exterior spaces. Rooftop access is provided above the garage to allow for connection to interior program. It is situated near the gelato station on the second floor , so people can enjoy their ice cream outside.
9th Street Kitchen Elevation
Since this site is on a busy intersection of Washington Ave, really needed to connect it with the rest of the market. wanted this corner to be an emblem for the community. But I also wanted to focus the facade on 9th streets and act as a continuation of 9th street.
Local Firms Proposal
This proposal was too large and the community did not like how they wanted to put a curb cut on 9th street. This helped me not make the same mistakes and informed my design to listen to what the community wants.
9th Street Mapping
Street, back alley
This mapping project allows someone to map their own stories on 9th street. This will happen over a model of 9th street in the museum space.
The warehouse will be located along Darien Street
The cultural center provides a space for the community to learn about all of the history of 9th street. The museum has exhibits to see historic photos, learn about the food stalls, do community mapping, etc.
This genealogy space allows for people to find out about their ancestors and learn about where they came from.
On 9th street lawn activities occur such as eating food from the market, kids playing, field trips, etc. The stairs leading up to the lawn space are in the same location on the inside and outside. You can walk up the stairs and see people walking on the inside. The library space has books about the different cultures on 9th street. There are different exhibit spaces in the museum to learn about the culture of 9th street. Within the museum, there is an interactive sculpture of 9th street in the middle where everyone can map their own stories about 9th street.
The office provides space to existing organizations such as the 9th street Business Association and the Our Market Project. These organizations already exist in the market but need their own space. It will also provide a business incubator to help new business come into the market since there are many empty storefronts.
The warehouse will support the digital market delivery that already exists for the Italian Market.
The lawn space sits on top of the museum. This design bring back the canopies that were tore down from this area of 9th street. The facade is focused on 9th street and enhances the pedestrian experience. The museum space has built in seating on the inside and on the outside so you can pier in and take a look at what is happening inside.
I created 2 sandwiches for my project. Each ingredient was from different shops in the market and I provided a menu! In doing so, I immersed the audience into the culture and helped them understand how each of the businesses on 9th street individually come together to create something!
I laser scanned the Italian Market! I used an ipad and the scanner with a tripod to take scans every 20 feet of the market. Each scan takes about a half hour to run and then they are all linked together. I converted the laser scan matter-port into a point cloud and linked it into Revit. I then had to draw the scan in Revit. This was a very tedious process that took several weeks. I was able to model the entire Italian market based off this scan to have a full understanding of my site and its context!
Tile Making Class – Philly Magic Gardens. I wanted to use a local mosaic technique that South Philly is familiar with. I chose to use the colors of the Italian Flag. This is a way to use recycled materials and give them a new beautiful use.
I took Agnes’ cooking class called La cucina at the market!
I was invited over Agnes’ house to interview her and her mother. They cooked me food and showed me photos and books. Agnes then took me for a walk down the market and showed me the tile on the floor of the business she used to own. She proceeded to introduce me to business owners and tell me stories of her life and her family growing up on 9th street.
Boards pinned up! The board on the left represents a collage of my journey and connection to 9th street (I layered family photos of places I went in the market these photos were physically printed and pinned on top of my boards in person). Layered underneath are the different nodes of experiences through my project. The goal was to show how I can improve a simple walk down the market by adding program with public space related to the culture.
Juror Comments:
“You made me very optimistic for the future of our profession. All of this work is blowing me away; the project was phenomenal. This is the most amount of people I have ever seen on a jury…I made a list of things that I am excited that you are bringing to our industry. Compassion, enthusiasm, preparation, organization, story telling, graphic style, clarity, the overall sense of fun…”
“This was one of the most immersive presentations that I have ever been a part of. You covered everything, there’s food, there’s texture and as a South Philly resident I would definitely support the project.”
“This embodies everything that this place is. My favorite part about this project was how you were so immersed with the people throughout this process… From Fall to now you always made sure to account for the people’s stories. Even their facial expressions and made it the character that they embodied You embraced everything that they really wanted. I really applaud you for that and I think we should all be doing that moving forward.
“You did a really nice job addressing the scale with the surrounding context…It engages with the place and is very specific… The cultural center maintains good relationships with the row houses and the density on 9th street… These sites do a good job speaking to each other… The roofscapes are used and activated.”
“I like how you are starting to break the ground plane…One place you can take this is exploring how that subterranean level can connect with the surface…then you can start to stitch things together. How does the past of the market dovetail the present? One thing interesting about the Italian Market is that it is maintaining certain aspects of its past, but it has also absorbed so many things along the way . It is one of the more dynamic areas of Philadelphia… Great project, these are some things that can add some richness to a project that is already very rich.
“In spite of my encouragement to pick one of these sites you chose to do all of them… you are stubborn in the best way possible. Over the course of the process the projects got simpler, and this helped you... You have way more ideas than you have time, but you somehow manage to find time. Which is kind of astounding which is sometimes your benefit and sometimes not... There’s a questions of should the language be consistent for each site.”
Reflection: I was thrilled with the presentation, and enjoyed the opportunity to share how special the Italian Market is with so many people! For me this project embodied everything I learned from Drexel Architecture. Really understanding the character of a Philly neighborhood, and simply being a good neighbor when designing. I looked directly at the businesses on the street and the surrounding buildings. I added program that would help what was already there and I made sure to add new program but not overshadow or take away from what was originally there. I went to the market once a week. I was able to visit the site in every season and seeing it every week allowed me to really understand what was needed. Rather than just visiting the site one time and never going back. I was able to fully understand this place. Thinking through things practically, iterating, seeking advice, and always learning from others and listening to the people. I just simply wanted to improve a walk down the market and thought of feelings I have when I walk down the street and how can my designs help others to see how special this place is too. My next steps are discussing some of these projects further with the 9th street Business Association!