Talk:Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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The place where you live http://www.southphillyreview.com Grays Ferry October 7, 2004

Boundaries: Grays Ferry Avenue to Morris Street, 25th Street to the Schuylkill River Population: 12,400

Demographics: Black, 56 percent; white, 39 percent. More than 30 percent of the residents are under 18.

Origin of name: The area's official moniker is derived from one of the boundary avenues and dates to 1970.

Brief history: The economic development of South Philadelphia mills and factories started attracting master craftsmen to the neighborhood in the 1860s. Earlier in the 19th century, the Schuylkill Arsenal, which now has an historical marker at Washington and Grays Ferry avenues, is where Meriwether Lewis bought supplies in preparation for the Lewis and Clark expedition (1803-06). The factory also supplied military goods for the Civil War and World Wars I and II.

Famous residents: Jerry Rullo, who played pro basketball with the 1947 Philadelphia Warriors.

Major landmarks: Conrail Bridge (aka 25th Street Bridge); Audenried High, 33rd and Tasker streets; the former St. John Neumann High, 26th and Moore; Philadelphia branch of the Trigen Energy Corporation; Sunoco Refinery and a quirk: a tiny area called The Forgotten Bottom in the refinery's shadow on 34th Street

Architecture: Brick rowhomes; several blocks have elevated front lawns.

Median home sale price: $60,000

State Senate district: First, Vincent Fumo (D); Eighth, Anthony Williams (D)

State House district: 182nd, Babette Josephs (D)

City Council district: Second, Council President Anna Verna (D)

Ward: 30th

Police district: 17th

Civic groups and townwatches: Grays Ferry Community Council, Committee of Concerned Citizens, Martin Luther King Village, Rainbow Coalition, The Forgotten Bottom

Schools: Charles Y. Audenried High, with a new building under construction adjacent to the 33rd and Tasker property; James Alcorn Elementary, 32nd and Dickinson; St. Gabriel's (changed back to its original name in 2005), 30th and Dickinson; Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics, Science, Technology and Careers, 1624 S. 26th St.

Rec centers: Vare Recreation Center, 26th and Morris streets; Lanier Playground, 30th and Tasker; Donald P. Finnegan Playground, 30th and Wharton; Stinger Square Playground, 32nd and Reed

Highlights of living there: Neumann-Goretti coach Steve Smith, originally of 32nd and Tasker, recalls a time when "the whole neighborhood raised you." His entire block served as his extended family, and playtime included pick-up basketball and football in the grassy field by the expressway. And while parts of the neighborhood remain tight-knit and still flourish with the innocence of youth, blighted blocks and crime have driven out many former residents and scared off potential new ones. But there's hope with the building of the Greater Grays Ferry Estates, a developing neighborhood within the neighborhood (see "The future" below). Another bright spot is the affordable housing.

Reputation: A racially divisive area that is part working-class, part low-income, with a dwindling number of pristine blocks among the blight

Major concerns/neighborhood issues: Gang wars and racial tension are nothing new in Grays Ferry, but former resident Charles Monroe remembers a time when youths of all stripes could put aside their differences on the neighborhood basketball courts. In the old Anthony Wayne schoolyard at 27th and Tasker, "we would get a diverse group of young kids playing [pick-up games] together without any racial friction," Monroe says.

Grays residents have appealed to government and civic organizations about the need for more centers and activities for the neighborhood's children. Prior to this year, for instance, the community lacked a place where kids could play organized baseball. Last spring, some 60 local youths went from not owning a mitt to playing in a Phillies Rookie League, a community program supported by Major League Baseball.

A formerly rich parish community also has dwindled from three schools and churches to one. Declining enrollments forced King of Peace, St. Aloysius and St. Gabriel to merge at the start of the new century. The resulting school, Our Lady of Angels, 2917 Dickinson St., has become a magnet for Catholics even beyond the neighborhood. St. Gabriel's Church is the only remaining Catholic house of worship in Grays Ferry, which formerly had a large Irish and Italian Catholic population.

The future: The first phase of the Greater Grays Ferry Estates, an affordable 554-home development, opened in July. The $165-million complex sits on a 40-acre site previously occupied by the Tasker Homes project. The first 225 homes are finished and many already are occupied, with the remainder expected to be completed by the end of next year. The new houses come complete with driveways, porches, backyards and household appliances, and are expected to draw a diverse population.

The physical rebuilding of Audenried High also is expected to raise morale, among both the student body and the neighborhood at large.

--by Bill Gelman

[edit] Comment moved from article

The following comment was left by User:Elfegobaca in the article. I'm copying it here because it seems relevant.shotwell 02:30, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

This page is incorrect. I lived in that area. First the name Grays Ferry existed well before the 1970's about a century or so. Second Vare Avenue does not run east and west so it cannot be a southern boundary.