Mid-Century Philly: Before Schuylkill Banks

What came before Schuylkill Banks and Schuylkill River Park? For today’s Mid-Century Philly, we shift our gaze from commercial corridors to look down 26th Street from Locust. Before the recreational path, community garden, dog run, AT&T and building, there was a dense mix of industrial and residential properties stretching southward along the Schuylkill River.

In 1953 warehouses and factories lined the railroad tracks river’s eastern shore. The old South Street Bridge is the river crossing at right, and the PECO plant is visible (with a neon sign if you click through and enlarge) in the background. You can also make out St. Anthony of Padua’s bell tower at left behind the Thornton-Fuller Automobile Company’s facility (now demolished).

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This image is part of the Parker & Mullikin collection held by the Free Library’s Print and Picture Collection.