Ludlow: Ramonita de Rodriguez Library Hopes the Next Mayor Will Fight for Education
Inside the Ramonita de Rodriquez Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, children can be seen reading, playing, and creating school projects in a cheerful room decorated with crafts. They come every Monday through Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. for the library’s Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program (LEAP). Having comprehensive after-school programs like LEAP […]
Ludlow: Couple Gives New Life to Maas Building, Opening It to Community
Ben Riesman and Catherine Birdsall are finally satisfied with the endless amount of work and money they have poured into the Maas Building – a project they have been working on for six years. The couple bought the building in 2008 for $420,000, according to city property records. At the time, the structure – which had been the […]
Ludlow: Longtime Residents Brace for Property Tax Hikes
The city’s proposed property tax hikes wouldn’t affect lower income homeowners in Ludlow, according to the office of State Representative W. Curtis Thomas. However, many Ludlow homeowners fear the city’s new Actual Value Initiative (an effort to more accurately determine property values) will likely force them out of the developing neighborhood they have always called […]
West Poplar: Teens Harvest Fresh Produce for the Community
[vimeo 44842321] In a city where pools are open for only a few weeks out of the summer and recreation centers aren’t providing adequate activity for kids, there is a sense of dread and uneasiness. Over the past two summers, bored and frustrated teens have expressed themselves in the form of flash mobs, descending on […]
Ludlow: A Community Struggles to Find a New Leader
[vimeo 25660895 height=400 width=600] Ludlow is a community in mourning. Marvin Louis, the former executive director of the Ludlow Community Association, died in May. He lived on North Sixth Street for more than 40 years, acting as a liaison between city government and residents of the community he cared so much about. Fondly referred to […]
Ludlow: The Village, a Mosaic Oasis of Community Expression
[vimeo 24794312] Imagine a place surrounded by stark urban blight where you hear the bright sounds of music, laughter of children and see engaging artwork, such as shiny mosaics and colorful murals, on all the walls around you. The warmth from dozens of smiling faces seems like a summer breeze blowing the tall shade trees surrounding […]
Ludlow: Two Little T-Shirt Shops Set Their Sight on Big Goals
[vimeo 24199759] It makes him feel “kind of bad” Michael Walker said about his making a lot of money from those grieving the death of loved ones. Walker owns Mike’s Airbrush, a custom airbrush studio near the corner of Fifth Street and Girard Avenue in Ludlow. Walker’s worked at the location for 10 years and […]
Ludlow: Rain, Disinterest and Confusion Dampen Voter Turnout
The landscape of the Marie Dendy Recreation Center at 10th and Oxford Streets in lower North Philadelphia is peppered with campaign signs. Representatives for candidates are on hand to pass out fliers, but a quick glance reveals there is more campaign literature than voters. Yet, seven hours after opening its doors, less than 70 voters […]
Ludlow: New Faces Change Fifth and Thompson
It looks like a street that most people would rather drive by than walk down. With an empty lot filled with beer bottles and an assortment of trash on one side and slowly crumbling row homes on the other, Fifth and Thompson Street does not look like residential bliss, although it may seem like a lost […]