Be a tourist at home: Seven Jane’s Walks, May 2-4

Friday, May 2 at 1pm

Walk Leader: Alex Balloon, Tacony CDC
 

Take a look at the changing face of Tacony. Check out several recently restored storefronts and visit community anchors such as the Tacony Library and Disston Park to discover how preservation and commercial revival go hand-in-hand here. Consider what makes a great streetscape; and talk about how this former company town is becoming a better 21st century neighborhood.

Meet at Tacony CDC office, Tacony Music Hall building at Longshore Avenue and Edmund Street

Friday, May 2 at 4pm

Walk Leaders: James Wright and Stephanie Wall, People’s Emergency Center

Explore the past and the potential of two impressive historic buildings at prominent intersections on Lancaster Avenue: the West Philadelphia Title and Trust Company and Hawthorne Hall. Discuss what these buildings mean to the commercial corridor and surrounding neighborhoods. Learn how programming and physical improvements are helping revive this part of Lancaster Ave. This tour will also invite participants to peek inside Hawthorne Hall and imagine its future.

Meet at Martin Luther King bust at triangle of Lancaster Avenue, Haverford Avenue, and 40th Street.

Saturday, May 3 at 11am

Walk Leader: Emma Fried-Cassorla, Delaware River Waterfront Corporation

The Central Delaware Waterfront is poised to become a more active place. Hear more about work on the waterfront, from this summer’s pop-up Spruce Street Harbor Park to the vision for a new Penn’s Landing. Discuss how the city became cut off from its waterfront, and current aspirations for a brighter, more-connected future. This walk features special access to parts of the waterfront not open to the public, such as Pier 9, and pay a visit to the Race Street Pier and Tugboat Jupiter.

Meet at Pier 9, next to the Race Street Pier

Saturday, May 3 at 2pm

Walk Leader: Jeffrey Cohen, Historian

Take a deep look at how a sliver of the Rittenhouse neighborhood developed – from 20th to 23rd streets, Lombard to Market streets. Learn about 19th-century speculators, architect-designed townhouses and mansions, and 20th century apartment buildings through old maps, deeds, and early photographs. Watch neighborhood history reveal itself during this neighborhood stroll. 

Meet at 2201 Walnut Street

Saturday, May 3 at 4pm

Walk Leader: Kiki Bolender, Architect

Discover the charm of the Rittenhouse/Fitler neighborhood’s tiny streets, and discuss how the intimate urbanity and scale affects the way neighbors live together. This walk starts at Rittenhouse Square and will pay a visit to two other wonderful but very different parks Fitler Square and Schuylkill River Park. 

Meet in Rittenhouse Square at central kiosk

Sunday, May 4 at 11am

Walk Leader: Ashley Hahn, Eyes on the Street / PlanPhilly

Society Hill’s greenways are where 1960s urban renewal and preservation efforts collide in a series of compromises struck between Ed Bacon and Charles Peterson. Look at the living legacy of that era with a walk through Bingham Court, the greenways, and delightful Three Bears Park. What makes these pedestrianized spaces work as public spaces? How can design enhance quietude? Does the blend of the Federal city and Mid-century Modern city hold up? 

Meet at Washington Square, Locust Street east exit (Locust and 6th streets)

Sunday, May 4, 1pm

Walk Leader: Diana Lu, former Chinatown Main Street Manager

This is Chinatown beyond dim sum. Get a window into the creative convergence of commerce, neighbors, artists, activists, and manufacturers that cohabitate in Chinatown/Callowhill. Visit intimate community spaces, discuss the impact of projects like the Vine Street Expressway and Convention Center on Chinatown, see the Rail Park site, and talk with local business owners and community leaders. 

Meet at Chinatown Friendship Gate, 10th and Arch streets