Old City: Painted Bride Arts Center Is Committed To Creating A New Mission For The Community
Although the beloved, mosaic-covered structure in Old City will not be getting a historic designation, The Painted Bride is making new plans. The art center’s executive director, Laurel Raczka, is seeking new ways to sustain the center at 230 Vine St. and broaden its existing audience. Raczka said the property will go up for sale […]
Powelton Village: Cooking and Learning at Drexel University’s Dornsife Center
On the first night of June, residents from Powelton Village and Mantua attended a cooking class at Drexel University’s Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships, at Dornsife’s Community Wellness Hub. The cooking instruction was led by Alyssa Kalter, an educator for EAT.RIGHT.NOW., the official nutrition education program of the School District of Philadelphia. The program is funded by the […]
Powelton Village: A Neighborhood In Transition
Usually when a person’s name is drawn from a hat, they gain something. But when Linn Washington had his name called hours before one of Philadelphia’s most controversial events, he almost lost his head. Literally. “On August 8, 1978, the police quite surprisingly allowed six journalists to come within the police lines and essentially be […]
Mantua: After-School Programs Filling Void Left By Closure of University City High School
For 41 years, the 14-acre plot on Filbert Street between 37th and 38th streets was home to University City High School, Charles Drew Elementary School and The Walnut Center. Today, those buildings have been erased from existence, leaving behind a vast swath of unfinished terrain littered by rocks, dirt and controversy. University City High School closed […]
Mantua: “They Help Me and They Say, ‘Don’t Be Afraid.'”
When Saquan Dixon walks through the Mantua section of West Philadelphia, he feels a vibe much different from the Kensington neighborhood where he was raised. Neither Mantua, also known as “The Bottom,” nor his neighborhood in Kensington have sparkling reputations but the 20-year-old Dixon sees a bright spot in Philadelphia’s Promise Zone. “I’m not too familiar […]
Mantua: “My Parents and Grandparents Trained Me to Survive.”
Nine years ago, De’Wayne Drummond nearly lost it all. A lifelong resident of the Mantua section of West Philadelphia, Drummond had unknowingly fallen asleep in nearly six pints of his own blood at his home on Haverford Avenue near 34th Street, only to be awoken by his infant daughter, Jadyn, who was desperately pleading for […]
Mantua: “You’re Never Really Alone if You Come to Work Here.”
Branon Gilmore makes enrichment for youths and adults in the Mantua area his priority every day when coming to work in the morning. Gilmore, 44, is the Center Director for the West Philadelphia Community Center on Haverford Avenue near 35th Street. For 10 years, he has been working for Caring People Alliance, an agency partnering with the […]
Lancaster Avenue: Five Great Eateries Worth Visiting
The Lancaster Avenue corridor in West Philadelphia is home to many small businesses, including ethnic restaurants, specifically Korean and Jamaican. While these restaurants may not look like the jazziest places to dine from the outside, local customers value the restaurants for filling their bellies on a daily basis. One of the most popular eateries in the […]
Mantua: Five Community Organizations Revitalizing the Neighborhood
Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood has been a recent target of revitalization, even getting federal attention. Here are five local organizations that have already been putting in the work to make a change in Mantua. Mighty Writers Recently highlighted for winning the 2015 Edward R. Murrow Award for the outstanding audio documentary “Going Black: The Legacy of Philly Soul […]
Mantua: Rabbit Run Promotes Exercise as Medicine for Parkinson’s Patients
Jodi Cianci is serious about her workouts. She trains as if her life depended on it – because it does. “I treat my exercise like a doctor’s appointment,” Cianci said. Cianci was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2010 when she was just 49, but has been dealing with early onset symptoms of the chronic illness since […]