Sharswood, Philadelphia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sharswood
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Girard College as seen from Sharswood's southern border.
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| Country |  United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Philadelphia |
| City | Philadelphia |
| Area code(s) | 215, 267 and 445 |
Sharswood is a small neighborhood in North Philadelphia, a part of the big city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It's in the United States. You can find it near places like Brewerytown and Girard College. People often talk about Sharswood and Brewerytown together. They even have groups like the Brewerytown-Sharswood Community Civic Association.
Contents
A Look at Sharswood's Past
In the very early days of Philadelphia, Sharswood was not a neighborhood yet. It was mostly farmland, part of a larger area called the Penn District. Ridge Avenue, which is on Sharswood's eastern side, was once a path used by the Lenape people before Europeans came to live there.
How Sharswood Got Its Name
Sharswood is named after George Sharswood. He was a judge for the highest court in Pennsylvania and used to live in this area. The neighborhood started to grow in the 1800s. It became a place where people could live and easily travel by streetcar (like an old-fashioned trolley). Many Irish and German workers who worked in breweries along the Schuylkill River made their homes here. One part of Sharswood was even called Engelside because of a brewery there.
A Hub for African American Culture
In the early 1900s, Sharswood became a neighborhood where many African Americans lived. This happened during the Great Migration. This was a time when many African Americans moved from the Southern United States to Northern cities.
Many famous African American artists lived in Sharswood. These included James B. Davis from the music group The Dixie Hummingbirds and artist Dox Thrash. Other famous musicians like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Odean Pope often visited the area. They would go to the jazz clubs and enjoy the nightlife around Ridge and Columbia Avenue. The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide for Black travelers, even suggested places to stay and eat in the neighborhood. Important African American leaders like Cecil B. Moore and Charles W. Bowser also lived nearby.
Challenges and Community Spirit
Sharswood faced challenges because of racial segregation. It was sometimes unsafe for Black residents to go to white neighborhoods nearby. Maps from the 1930s show that Sharswood was "redlined." This meant that banks and other services made it harder for people in these areas to get loans or invest in their homes.
These maps also showed that most people in Sharswood worked as laborers or mechanics. Many families also received public assistance. However, some lawyers, doctors, and teachers also lived there. Roberts Vaux Junior High School was built in the neighborhood in the late 1930s. Even Malcolm X, a famous leader, lived and worked in Sharswood for a short time in 1954.
In 1964, a big event called the Columbia Avenue Riot happened nearby. It affected Sharswood, causing problems for local businesses. This led to more people moving out of the area. In the late 1960s, the Norman Blumberg Apartments were built. Also, the People's Neighborhood Medical Center opened to offer affordable healthcare to people in North Philadelphia. This center helped the community by focusing on overall well-being, not just medical treatment.
Later in the 1900s, Sharswood saw fewer people living there. Many factories closed, and the neighborhood became poorer. Despite these difficulties, one block, the 2400 block of Sharswood Street, became known for being very clean and having a strong community. Many children from this block grew up to be successful. The chess team from Vaux Junior High, called the Bad Bishops, won seven national championships in a row! They even visited the White House in 1979.
In 2013, Roberts Vaux Junior High School and Gen. John F. Reynolds Elementary School closed. This made things harder for the neighborhood.
Sharswood-Blumberg Neighborhood Transformation Plan
In recent years, Sharswood has been changing a lot. The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) started a big project called the Sharswood-Blumberg Neighborhood Transformation Plan. In 2013, the PHA received a grant to improve the area around the Norman Blumberg Apartments and the rest of Sharswood.
Changes and New Buildings
In 2015, the PHA sent out notices for over 1,300 buildings in Sharswood. Many of these buildings were empty, but some people were still living in them. The PHA started tearing down old buildings. Residents sometimes complained about dust and pests from the demolitions. Some people also felt they didn't get enough money for their homes when the PHA bought them through eminent domain. This means the government can buy private property for public use.
Reynolds Elementary School was sold to the PHA in 2014, but it has not reopened yet.
Community Gardens and New Schools
For a few years, a group of local gardeners, led by Tommy Joshua, had a disagreement with the PHA. They had turned an empty lot into a beautiful garden called the North Philly Peace Park. The PHA wanted to build new apartments there. After some protests, the gardeners agreed to move their garden to a new spot.
Building new things in Sharswood really started after parts of the Blumberg Apartments were torn down in 2016. About 500 families who lived in the apartments had to move before this happened.
In 2016, Vaux Junior High School was sold to the PHA. In 2017, a group called Big Picture Learning worked with the PHA to reopen Vaux as a charter school. This new school focuses on helping students in grades 9-12 get ready for careers through internships.
New Headquarters and Community Voices
In 2019, the PHA opened a new headquarters building on Ridge Avenue. After it opened, some PHA residents and neighbors who were unhappy about housing issues started a protest called #OccupyPHA. They camped outside the headquarters for five months to make their voices heard.
In 2020, the PHA received more money to continue rebuilding the Blumberg site. Protesters camped outside the PHA headquarters again. They left when the PHA agreed to move them into empty homes in another neighborhood. This agreement helped the PHA move forward with plans to build new stores.
In 2022, a new shopping area opened with a Grocery Outlet, a bank, and an urgent care center. This was a big deal because it was the first grocery store to open in the Sharswood area since the 1964 riot.
Images for kids
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J.M. Brewer's 1934 map of Philadelphia, showing redlining in Sharswood
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A medical center in Sharswood during the 1970s
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21st and Harlan Streets in 2024
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Construction in Sharswood
