Everything about Center City Philadelphia totally explained
Center City is the "
downtown" and
Central Business District of
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, USA. Its 2005 population of 88,000 makes it the third most-populous downtown in the United States. It is bounded by
South Street to the south, the
Delaware River to the east, the
Schuylkill River to the west and either
Vine Street or Spring Garden Street to the north (though the 88,000 population figure corresponds to an expanded area of roughly Poplar Street south to Christian Street).
(External Link
)(External Link) If Vine Street is considered the northern border, then Center City occupies the boundaries of the city before
Philadelphia County was added in 1854.
Among Center City's neighborhoods and districts are
Penn's Landing,
Old City,
Society Hill,
Washington Square West,
Market East,
Chinatown,
Logan Circle, the
Museum District (located along the
Ben Franklin Parkway),
Rittenhouse Square,
Fitler Square, the
Avenue of the Arts (South Broad Street), and
Jewelers' Row.
Center City is home to most of Philadelphia's tallest buildings, including
Philadelphia's City Hall, the tallest
masonry building in the world and through the late
1980s the tallest in Philadelphia. In March
1987,
One Liberty Place broke the
gentlemen's agreement not to exceed the height of the statue of William Penn atop City Hall. Since the completion of One Liberty Place, no Philadelphia sporting team has won a world championship, a phenomenon known as the "
Curse of Billy Penn."
Seven other skyscrapers now top the statue, including One Liberty Place's little sister,
Two Liberty Place. In
2005, construction began on the
Comcast Center, which is slated upon completion in
2007 to become the tallest building in Pennsylvania, 30 feet taller than One Liberty Place. Three proposed buildings — Mandeville Place, 1441 Chestnut, and Bridgeman's View Tower — would also be taller than City Hall.
Other Center City skyscrapers include the
Mellon Bank Center and the
Verizon Tower, which houses a traffic camera used by the Philadelphia branch of the
Westwood One MetroNetworks traffic service.
Across the street from City Hall is a
Masonic Temple, the
Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, a legacy of the
Founding Fathers and signers of the
Declaration of Independence, many of whom were
Freemasons; such luminaries include
George Washington and
Benjamin Franklin.
While Philadelphia's population has declined since the 1960s, Center City's rose 10% between 1990 and 2000.
In 2007, the city designated the area bounded by 11th Street, Broad Street, Chestnut Street and Pine Street as the Gayborhood.
Gallery
Image:CenterCityWALK.JPG|Modern architecture in Penn Center section of Center City.
Image:Jewelers Row.jpg|Jewelers' Row
Image:Curtis_building.jpg|Curtis Building
Image:Philadelphia City Hall (from Art Museum).JPG|City Hall
Image:Mikveh Israel Cemetery.jpg|Mikveh Israel Cemetery
Image:Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, PA.jpg|Kimmel Center
Image:Pennsylvania Hospital 2007.jpg|Pennsylvania Hospital
Image:Kimmel Center exterior-daytime.JPG|Kimmel Center
Image:KYW.jpg|KYW/WYSP Building (now demolished)
Image:Inquirerbldgfull.jpg|Inquirer Building
Image:First national bank US HABS.jpg|First Bank of the United States
Image:Headhouse.jpg|Reading Terminal
Image:
West Philadelphia
Image:Philly Vista.jpg|View down Baltimore Avenue east towards Center City
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
School District of Philadelphia
Residents are within the
School District of Philadelphia.
K-8 schools that have attendance boundaries in Center City and areas around Center City include :
Neighborhood high schools for Center City and the Center City area include :
Furness High School
Benjamin Franklin High School
William S. Peirce High School ((External Link) The website hasn't been updated prior to Peirce's conversion to a high school)
South Philadelphia High School
Other high schools include:
Bodine High School for International Affairs
Constitution High School for American Studies
Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts
Franklin Learning Center High School
Parkway Center City High School
Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology
Science Leadership Academy
Combined middle and high schools include:
Julia R. Masterman School
Charter schools
Charter schools not operated by the School District of Philadelphia include (External Link):
Grades 1-12:
- Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School
Grades 6-12:
- World Communications Charter School
Grades 8-12:
Grades 9-12:
- Architecture and Design Charter School
- Mastery Charter High School
- Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter School
Grades K-8:
- Laboratory Charter School of Communication and Languages
Grades 6-8:
Grades K-7:
- Christopher Columbus Charter School
- Independence Charter School
- People for People Charter School
Grades Pre-K-6:
- Russell Byers Charter School
Grades K-6:
- Universal Institute Charter School
Grades K-5:
- Folk Arts Treasures Charter School
Private school
Roman Catholic parochial schools
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia operates the following Roman Catholic parochial schools in the Center City area (External Link):
Grades 9-12:
Grades Pre-K-8:
- St. Francis Xavier School
- St. Peter the Apostle School
Grades K-8:
- St. Mary's Interparochial School
Grades 1-8:
- Holy Redeemer School
Other private schools
Other private schools in the Center City area include:
Grades Pre-K-12:
Grades 9-12:
Grades Pre-K-8:
- St. Peter's School
- The Philadelphia School
Further Information
Get more info on 'Center City Philadelphia'.
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