East of Broad St. Condo Growth Over the Years
The Way I see it…
How Neighborhoods in Center City came to be (East of Broad St)
In the 1960’s the city wanted to revitalize Society Hill. They did indeed with the addition
of Society Hill Towers, and the surrounding area. Many vacant homes were sold for $1 as
long as you promised to fix them up and make them livable.
As Society Hill become popular and pricey, folks started to take their money, their lives, and
the rehabbing skills to Queen Village (QV)….though Queen Village was never as vacant and run down as Society Hill had become. But none-the-less, to QV they went.
Then in the late 1990’s, it became apparent the QV was becoming pricey, and availability of
run-down started homes become scarce, and folks then began to see the value and beauty of
Bella Vista. Back in the day, you couldn’t find a Bella Vista home for over $500,000- that kind of money was reserved for (first) Society Hill, then Queen Village.
Finally, as Bella Vista began to be known as a destination, folks started to move west into
Hawthorne (west of 11th street, east of Broad). Now Hawthorne boasts some nice houses
and some fine Hawthorne lofts.
And that is the migration of folks east of Broad Street since the 1960’s – the way I see it.
Mark Wade
www.CenterCityCondos.com
