upright=1.2, The Northern terminus of Broad Street on the border of Philadelphia and Cheltenham Township
Broad Street is a major arterial street in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. The street runs for approximately , beginning at the intersection of
Cheltenham Avenue on the border of
Cheltenham Township
Cheltenham Township is a home rule township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Cheltenham's population density ranges from over 10,000 per square mile (25,900 per square kilometer) in rowhouses and high-rise apartments along Chel ...
and the
West/
East Oak Lane neighborhoods of
North Philadelphia to the
Philadelphia Navy Yard in
South Philadelphia. It is
Pennsylvania Route 611 along its entire length with the exception of its northernmost part between
Old York Road
Old York Road (originally York Road, with reference to New York) is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan (Unami tribe) "Naraticong Trail ...
and
Pennsylvania Route 309 (Cheltenham Avenue) and the southernmost part south of
Interstate 95.
Broad Street runs along a north–south axis between 13th Street and 15th Street, containing what would otherwise be known as 14th Street in the Philadelphia
grid plan. It is interrupted by
Philadelphia City Hall
Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the offices of the Mayor of Philadelphia. ...
, which stands where Broad and
Market Street would intersect in the center of the city. The streets of Penn Square, Juniper Street,
John F. Kennedy Boulevard, and 15th Street form a circle around City Hall at this point. It is one of the earliest planned streets in the United States, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a continuous north–south street, planned by surveyor
Thomas Holme and developed for Philadelphia in 1681.
Broad Street is served by many public transit routes, including
SEPTA's
Broad Street Line subway and several
SEPTA City Bus
The City Transit Division of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operate almost all of Philadelphia's public transit, including all six trolley, three trackless trolley, and 70 bus lines within city limits. Some of the ...
routes.
History
Broad Street has gone through various changes since its beginnings in Colonial America.
Thomas Holme introduced the first geographical plan of the city to
William Penn
William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...
in 1687.
Composing of a center square, Holme designed the street to be roughly across and long. Penn intended that the center square would eventually be home to Philadelphia's
City Hall.
During the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
, the street was often settled by troops moving in and out of the city. As the city's population grew, Broad was extended both north to Vine and south to Dickinson, eventually reaching the Delaware Waterfront, where today's
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries.
Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the ci ...
stands. It remains Philadelphia's longest straightaway and one of the longest urban
boulevards in the United States.
During the early stages of the 19th century, Broad Street was home to many wealthy residents, especially around the
Rittenhouse square area. Homes were designed in
Victorian and
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
styles. South Broad became center for the fine arts with the establishment of the
Academy of Music in 1857.
A Masonic Temple, The
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Adelphi Theater were also built during the same time period. Banks and offices grew in number around center city as well as high rise structures. The corner of
Spring Garden housed
Baldwin Locomotive Works founded by
Matthias Baldwin
Matthias William Baldwin (December 10, 1795 – September 7, 1866) was an American inventor and machinery manufacturer, specializing in the production of steam locomotives. Baldwin's small machine shop, established in 1825, grew to become Ba ...
in 1825.
Baldwin's company was one of the biggest
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the loco ...
producers before the transition to diesel powered trains. Broad Street's biggest addition came with the construction of City Hall intersecting Broad and Market. With the progression of the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
Philadelphia became a center for trade and commerce. Transportation growth gained prominence with the construction of the
Broad Street Station in 1881. Social life dominated the street during the second half of the 19th century. Elaborate hotels such as the
Divine Lorraine and the Majestic were centers for
nightlife.
Standing over 10 stories tall the Lorraine was one of the tallest residential structures in Philadelphia. Private clubs such as the Columbia and Mercantile were popular during the
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Wes ...
.
At the turn of the 20th century, Broad Street transformed from a bustling boulevard to a cultural magnet for music and the arts. January 1, 1901, introduced the very first
Mummers Day parade which has become a staple of Philadelphia culture.
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
and
gospel gained popularity at the grassroots level due primarily to the
Great Migration of the early 1900s. One such place for Jazz and
Blues music
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afric ...
was the
Uptown Theater, built in 1927. By the 1950s Broad Street residential areas had been replaced with skyscrapers as well as the newly developed
Penn Center.
Since the 70s the street has undergone various city renovations. With $100 million in public funds Broad has received new lighting and streetscaping, restored theaters as well as new restaurants and cafes.
Lamp post fixtures have been improved as well as sidewalk pavements and subway entrances.
In 2015 Philadelphia Mayor,
Michael Nutter, introduced a $8.7 million project to brighten North Broad with 41 stainless steel light masts.
Southern Boulevard Parkway
Southern Boulevard Parkway is a landscaped segment of south Broad Street in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
connecting
Marconi Plaza and
FDR Park
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Park (originally named League Island Park) is a park located along the Delaware River in the southernmost point of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, comprising some which includes a golf course (closed and conver ...
from Oregon Avenue at Broad Street southward five intersections to the gateway entrance of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The parkway consists of the central median landscaped area including the bordering east and west tree lined sidewalks and various sized green spaces which separates opposing lanes of traffic, and roadway intersections. Broad Street itself is a historic city street and this landscaped segment is bordered by an urban residential townhome community and the entrance to the major venues of the
South Philadelphia Sports Complex and
Xfinity Live!
Xfinity Live! Philadelphia (known as Philly Live! during planning and construction) is a dining and entertainment complex located at the corner of 11th and Pattison Avenue in the South Philadelphia Sports Complex on the former site of the Spectr ...
, and the
Philadelphia Navy Yard.
In 1904, a plan for a Park and
Parkway Improvements in
South Philadelphia began with Samuel Parsons Jr. laying out a design, but work stopped by 1910. Then in 1912, the city's director of public works, Morris Cooke, engaged the preeminent landscape architecture firm,
Olmsted Brothers, to produce designs for
League Island Park
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Park (originally named League Island Park) is a park located along the Delaware River in the southernmost point of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, comprising some which includes a golf course (closed and conver ...
, Oregon Plaza and the stretch of south Broad Street from Oregon Avenue south to Pattison Avenue and southward to
League Island. The unifying medial green space including the tree lined sidewalks on the east and west connected the two parks developed from river swamp lands that were filled and regraded. In 1926 a second Parkway was constructed on Moyanmensing Avenue from Oregon Avenue to the intersection of Packer Avenue, and Packer Avenue was extended from 20th Street to Broad Street (Southern Boulevard) for access to the
Sesquicentennial Exposition. Later the two parks were renamed
Marconi Plaza and
FDR Park
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Park (originally named League Island Park) is a park located along the Delaware River in the southernmost point of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, comprising some which includes a golf course (closed and conver ...
and the median landscaping known as the Southern Boulevard.
Olmsted's design was centered on the availability of open space to all residents. Olmsted wanted to create a place that took advantage of the best characteristics that the city and the country had to offer. The intended result was to create a "Suburban Village" by blending the countryside with the urban environments and developing an organization of open space, views and providing the advantages of increased health benefits of "purity of air" and "facilities for quiet out-of-door recreation". This original concept design facilitated surrounding development in the next 100 years of a thriving urban residential community, countryside recreation and the focal location point for regional metropolitan spectator sporting events.
The Boulevard was utilized as the main entrance and central roadway in the 1926
Sesquicentennial Exposition, a world's fair hosted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, and the 50th anniversary of the 1876 Centennial Exposition. Open green areas, parking, and huge exposition buildings flanked the Boulevard lined with
linden trees and flowering
crab apple trees, individual
obelisks as the 13 columns for each of the original colony States known as the "Founders Pylons", various standards,
banners and a huge 80 foot high 27 ton replica of the
Liberty Bell at the gateway of Oregon Plaza. The Boulevard was illuminated at night with spectacular visual displays of the huge Liberty Bell surrounded with 26,000 light bulbs, the Founder Pylons each with a powerful searchlight projecting skyward, and the shooting projection of lights from the Tower Of Light. This provided a fantastic effect for that time period.
The structures were demolished or removed following the close of the exposition, but the area continued to draw development in the 1960s with a new stadium, bowling alley, drive in movie theater, movie theater, and a major new Aquarium,
Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea
__NOTOC__
Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea, also known as Aquarama, was a unique 1960s aquarium attraction located in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the intersection of Broad Street (Philadelphia), Broad Street and Hartranft Street, ...
. The development pattern continued with the centralized venues for professional sports in the form of
Veterans Stadium and
Spectrum which also have since been demolished and in 2012 now includes a complex of two Stadiums, one arena, and a new dining and entertainment district.
Although the thoroughfare carried the name of Broad Street the green space was officially designated in the 1950s
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
Home Rule City Charter as part of the
Fairmount Park urban park system as parkland, to be known as Southern Parkway. No traces of this name exist in this area today and it is merely referred to as part of Broad Street.
Cultural landmarks
Broad Street is home to several Philadelphia cultural landmarks. During the administration of Mayor
Ed Rendell, Broad Street between Spruce and Market Streets, became known as the
Avenue of the Arts, where it is home to art galleries, the
Academy of Music, and the
Kimmel Center
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue at 300 South Broad Street and the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the Avenue of the Arts in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned and ...
. North of City Hall is the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
The
South Philadelphia Sports Complex, near Broad's south end along
Southern Boulevard Parkway, is the site of
Citizens Bank Park,
Lincoln Financial Field, and the
Wells Fargo Center Wells Fargo Center may refer to:
*Wells Fargo Center (Los Angeles), California
*Wells Fargo Center (Sacramento), California
* Wells Fargo Center (San Francisco), California
* Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, California
*Wells Fargo Cent ...
. Demolished sports facilities located in this area were
John F. Kennedy Stadium, the
Spectrum, and
Veterans Stadium. As a result, the
Philadelphia Flyers are nicknamed the "Broad Street Bullies".
South of the sports complex and interchanges with the
Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76) and
Interstate 95, Broad Street has its southern terminus in the former
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries.
Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the ci ...
.
The former offices for ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pen ...
'' and ''
Philadelphia Daily News'' newspapers are on Broad Street just north of City Hall and the former PA State Building is at the intersection with Spring Garden Street. Most recently, the Public School District Administration relocated between these two landmarks. Also located on North Broad at its intersection with
Fairmount Avenue is the historic
Divine Lorraine Hotel. Farther north, Broad passes through the campus of
Temple University. Included on Temple's campus is the performing arts center, established in 1891. Once a Baptist temple, it has now become a prime part of the "Avenue of the Arts."
Where Broad Street intersects with Clearfield Street in North Philadelphia is the exact location of the
40th Parallel.
At the corner of Broad and W. Glenwood Ave is the former personal gym of
heavyweight champion boxer,
Joe Frazier. Having lived atop the gym for several years, it has now been turned into a furniture store.
Traditions and customs
Broad Street often serves as the main parade route for Philadelphia sports championship parades, most recently for the
Eagles
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...
Super Bowl LII victory. During the
Phillies 2008 World Series victory parade, an estimated 2 million people lined Broad Street.
The largest gathering for a championship parade was for the Flyers in .
One of the busiest streets in the country, Broad Street is shut down for the annual
Broad Street Run. Passing by some of Philadelphia's most famous landmarks, the course averages over 35,000 participants a year. Additionally, the section of Broad Street from near Oregon Avenue (
Marconi Plaza) to
City Hall, in
South Philadelphia and
Center City, is the traditional location of the
Mummers Parade
The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia. Local clubs (usually called "New Years Associations" or "New Years Brigades") compete in one of five categories (Comics, Wench Brigades, Fancies, String Bands, and Fancy Brigades) ...
on New Years Day.
Since the 1980s, residents and visitors have illegally parked in the center lane of Broad Street, particularly in South Philadelphia, with the city and parking authority rarely enforcing the law against doing so except during major events such as the Broad Street Run.
Public transportation
Public transportation along Broad Street includes
SEPTA's
Broad Street Line subway, which served an average of about 137,000 riders per weekday in 2010, running beneath Broad Street for most of its length. The subway starts at the
Fern Rock Transportation Center in the
Fern Rock neighborhood in
North Philadelphia and begins to follow Broad Street at the
Olney Transportation Center, extending south through
Center City to
NRG station at Pattison Avenue in
South Philadelphia. Several
SEPTA City Bus
The City Transit Division of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operate almost all of Philadelphia's public transit, including all six trolley, three trackless trolley, and 70 bus lines within city limits. Some of the ...
routes run along Broad Street, with Routes and following Broad Street for most of their routes. The Route 4 bus follows Broad Street from Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia north to Rising Sun Avenue in North Philadelphia, where it diverges to the east to head to the Fern Rock Transportation Center. The Route 16 bus follows Broad Street from
Philadelphia City Hall
Philadelphia City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of the City of Philadelphia. Built in the ornate Second Empire style, City Hall houses the chambers of the Philadelphia City Council and the offices of the Mayor of Philadelphia. ...
north to its terminus at
Cheltenham Avenue, where the bus route continues west along Cheltenham Avenue to the Cheltenham-Ogontz Bus Loop.
Other names
* "
Avenue of the Arts" (from Glenwood Avenue to Washington Avenue). This section of Broad Street includes many prominent theater and concert halls, including the Academy of Music, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Merriam Theater, Wilma Theater, University of the Arts Gershman Hall, and Suzanne Roberts Theater. The street has "AA" lights all along the way, which is the abbreviation for Avenue of the Arts.
* Avenue of the States: from Washington Avenue to Oregon Avenue. Along this section of Broad Street fly the flags of all 50 states in the US.
* Southern Boulevard Parkway: from Oregon Avenue south to Pattison Avenue to the Gatehouse of the
Philadelphia Navy Yard connecting
Marconi Plaza and
FDR Park
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Park (originally named League Island Park) is a park located along the Delaware River in the southernmost point of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, comprising some which includes a golf course (closed and conver ...
, an
Olmsted Brothers landscape design 1904-1916 and fully utilized as the center roadway for the 1926
Sesquicentennial Exposition world's fair celebrating the birthday of the United States.
* C. A. Tindley Boulevard: from South Street to Washington Avenue. This was dedicated to the late
Charles A. Tindley, the father of
gospel music.
Tindley Temple United Methodist Church was his home, at the corner of Broad and Fitzwater Streets.
* Georgie Woods Boulevard: from Diamond Street to York Street.
* Used to be part of
PA 291, from Moyamensing Avenue north to City Hall.
Major intersections
The entire street is in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Philadelphia County.
Historic buildings, places, and sites
*
Broad Street Historic District (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
The Broad Street Historic District is a historic district in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is bounded roughly by Juniper, Cherry, 15th, and Pine Streets, covering an area about one block on either side of Broad Street.
The distr ...
*E.A. Wright Bank Note Company, 2527-37 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1913
*2301-03 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1895
*2305-07 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1895
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 39.950827, -75.163968, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title
Lincoln Highway
Streets in Philadelphia
Economy of Philadelphia
Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia