The Story Of The South Street Renaissance BY RICK SNYDERMAN, RUTH SNYDERMAN AND AMY GRANT The South Street Renaissance began in 1964 amongst drifting ashes of a community that just 10 years earlier had been one of the most thriving in Philadelphia. Here’s the story on the decline and resurgence of the city’s most iconic and beloved commercial corridor.
In 1949, South Street was full of thriving businesses, including Tri-plex (shoes), L. Dubrow & Sons (furniture), and Klinghoffer (carpets). Image courtesy of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Print and Picture Collection.
In the early 20th century, the eastern end of South Street was home to a thriving commercial district. From the Delaware River to 6th Street, garment workshops, warehouses and stores attracted hordes of “special occasion” shoppers. “It was the place everybody [went to plan] their weddings and bar mitzvahs,” recalls local architect Joel Spivak. “You’d get your caterers and your clothes there. All the bridal shops were there.” Despite this success, the city of Philadelphia had other plans for South Street. In the 1930s, city planners envisioned a “ring road” around the central business district consisting of four expressways: the Delaware on the east, the Schuylkill on the west, Vine Street on the north and the Crosstown on the south. Since South Street already ran river-to-river, city planners deemed it an ideal place for the southern portion of their “crosstown” roadway. All was quiet for about a decade. Then, in 1954, property owners on South and Bainbridge Streets — and those inbetween — were issued notices of eminent domain. The city was moving forward with the Crosstown’s plans, and these homes and businesses were in its way. Some people sold their buildings; others, in hopes of gaining more money when the
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proposed expressway came, held onto theirs, eking out small rental incomes and never repairing their properties. Gradually, many of the buildings, vandalized or just worn out, started wearing “unfit for human habitation" signs on their doors and windows. Banks redlined the area, making it impossible for prospective buyers to obtain loans or mortgages. Things began to change in 1965. Despite the impending threat of demolition, South Street hadn’t been condemned. Joel Spivak recalls, “[The architectural firm where I worked was] able to [obtain] building permits from the city [to renovate]” a vacant movie theater. Work was completed and 334 South Street reopened as Theatre of the Living Arts (TLA). People who worked at the playhouse moved nearby. Morgan Freeman, Danny DeVito, Judd Hirsch and Sally Kirkland all began their careers there. Under the flamboyant directorship of Andre Gregory (My Dinner With Andre), the TLA drew New York critics to Philadelphia. It also drew Philadelphians to South Street. Around the same time, the Philadelphia College of Art opened a dormitory near 7th and Pine Streets. Their art students soon found their way to South Street – where apartments could be had cheaply and fixed to their simple needs.
