Wissahickon, Philadelphia

Wissahickon
Neighborhood of Philadelphia
Ridge Ave. over Wissahickon Creek in Wissahickon
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Philadelphia County
City	Philadelphia
Zipcode	19128
Area code(s)	Area code 215

Wissahickon is a neighborhood in the section of Lower Northwest Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania. Wissahickon is located adjacent to the neighborhoods of Roxborough and Manayunk, and it is bounded by the Wissahickon Valley Park, Ridge Avenue, Hermit Street, and Henry Avenue. The name of the neighborhood comes from the Lenni Lenape word wisameckham, for "catfish creek", a reference to the species of fish that once abound in the nearby Wissahickon Creek .^[1]

Historic Structures

• The 100 Steps: Located at the base of Freeland Avenue, these broad stairs were built in 1901 of Wissahickon granite and local ironwork. Restoration work was completed between 2003-05 as steps were repaired, new lighting was installed, and railings were replaced. The 100 Steps offer a convenient route to the trails in Wissahickon Valley Park.^[2]
• Merrick Hall: Located on the 5300 block of Ridge Avenue, this is the oldest building on Northern Children’s Services campus. Designed by noted Philadelphia architect Lindley Johnson in the 1870s, it was originally the former home of 19th century industrialist J. Vaughn Merrick. The house was renovated in 1927 by the well-known Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer and more recently in 2012-14 by Philadelphia architecture firm Jacobs Wyper Architects.^[3][4]
• Northern Children's Services: Located on the 5300 block of Ridge Avenue, this is a cluster of stone buildings, including four dormitories, an infirmary, a dining hall and kitchen, a gymnasium, a library and meeting rooms, designed and altered by Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer in 1927 on a six-acre campus aimed at helping children and their families do better.^[5][6][7]
• The Ridge Avenue Bridge: Located at the southern edge of the neighborhood, it is a triple-span stone arch bridge built in 1888 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The bridge carries Ridge Avenue over the Wissahickon Creek and into East Falls.^[8]

Education

Primary and secondary education

The School District of Philadelphia operates public schools. Cook-Wissahickon School is a K-8 grade school located in the area.^[9] The school was built in 1968 at the corner of East Salaignac and Righter Streets to replace the aging Cook Public School and the Wissahickon School.^[10]

Public libraries

Free Library of Philadelphia operates its Roxborough Branch, serving Wissahickon, at 6245 Ridge Avenue at Hermitage Street.^[11] A prior library, the Wissahickon Branch, located at Manayunk Avenue and Osborn Street, opened in 1909 and was built on land donated by the Pencoyd Iron Works.^[12] It was the ninth Andrew Carnegie-funded Free Library branch designed by the architectural firm of Whitfield and King and featured a main reading room, a children's room which also served as a lecture room seating 100, and a basement consisting of a boiler room, coal bin, staff room, a small magazine room, and two toilets.^[13] The Wissahickon Branch served the Wissahickon neighborhood until it closed in 1969. Sometime soon after, the building burned down.^[14]

Transportation

One SEPTA Regional Rail line connects the neighborhood to Center City: the Manayunk/Norristown Line stops at the Wissahickon station. The station was once home to a building designed by the renowned architect Frank Furness; however, the building was later demolished.^[15] Improvements were made to the existing station, and there were plans for a mural on a retaining wall running along the outbound platform of the station, coordinated by the Wissahickon Interested Citizen's Association, Mural Arts Program, and Cook-Wissahickon School.^[16][17][18]

The neighborhood is also served by bus routes 9, 27, and 65. The Wissahickon Transfer Station offers connecting service to routes 1, 9, 27, 35, 38, 61, 62, 65, 124, 125, & R.

Civic Association

The local civic association is called Wissahickon Interested Citizen's Association. Public meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month at Northern Children's Services.

References

1. Alotta, Robert I. (1975). Street Names of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
2. Salisbury, Stephan (May 5, 2005). "100 Steps Zigzag in Right Direction". Philadelphia Inquirer. pp. B.1. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
3. Kellogg, Isabelle (September 3, 2014). "Jacobs Wyper Architects Restores Merrick Hall at Northern Home for Children in Roxborough". American Institute of Architects Philadelphia Chapter. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
4. Fox, Jessie (September 23, 2013). "Expanding Services By Merging Old And New At Roxborough’s Northern Services". Hidden City Philadelphia. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
5. "Northern Home for Friendless Children". Philadelphia Architects and Buildings. 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
6. Chastain, Sue (December 13, 1994). "A Roxborough Home For Boys Helps Them To Move Forward". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
7. Scally, Bernard J. (August 3, 2014). "Northern Children's Services offer more with Merrick Hall reopening". Roxborough Review. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
8. Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
9. "Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School". The School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
10. "Welcome". Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School. The School District of Philadelphia. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
11. "Roxborough Branch." Free Library of Philadelphia. Retrieved on November 7, 2008.
12. Fourth Annual Message of John E. Reyburn Mayor of the City of Philadelphia with Annual Reports of Various Departments ..., Volume 1. Philadelphia, PA: Dunlap Printing Co. 1911. p. 1137. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
13. "Historical Images of Philadelphia - Wissahickon Branch". Free Library of Philadelphia. 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
14. "Historical Images of Philadelphia - Wissahickon Branch". Free Library of Philadelphia. 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
15. Thomas, George E. (2012). "Frank Furness: Philadelphia & Reading Railroad". FrankFurness.org. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
16. Pasquarello, Daniel (January 2, 2015). "Proposed Wissahickon mural aims to show local balance between urban and natural environments". WHYY/NewsWorks. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
17. Muse, Queen (April 20, 2015). "Community begins to brainstorm for upcoming mural at the Wissahickon station". WHYY/NewsWorks. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
18. Corrigan, John (August 5, 2015). "Plans for Wissahickon Station mural revealed". WHYY/NewsWorks. Retrieved 20 February 2016.

Further reading

• Bicknell, Joseph D. The Wissahickon in History, Song and Story. Philadelphia, PA: The City History Society of Philadelphia, 1908. Print.
• Del Collo Deborah. Roxborough. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2011. Print.
• Herman, Andrew M. Along the Wissahickon Creek. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2004. Print.
• Miles, Joseph S., and William H. Cooper. A Historical Sketch of Roxborough, Manayunk, Wissahickon. Philadelphia, PA: G. Fein & Co., 1940. Print.
• Minardi, Joseph. Historic Architecture in Philadelphia: East Falls, Manayunk, and Roxborough. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2013. Print.
• Myers, Nick. Milestones in History, 1690-1990: Roxborough, Manayunk, Wissahickon, Andorra. Philadelphia, PA: Roxborough-Manayunk-Wissahickon Historical Society, 1990. Print.

External links

• Friends of the Wissahickon
• Wissahickon Interested Citizen's Association

Coordinates: 40°01′05″N 75°11′24″W / 40.018°N 75.190°W