{{Short description|Neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox settlement | background_color= |image_skyline=Fox Chase Farm.JPG |imagesize= |image_caption=[[Fox Chase Farm]] |image_flag= |name=Fox Chase |settlement_type = [[List of Philadelphia neighborhoods|Neighborhood of Philadelphia]] | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{nowrap|{{flag|United States of America}}}} | subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]] | subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Pennsylvania}} | subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Pennsylvania|County]] | subdivision_name2 = {{flagicon|Philadelphia}} [[Philadelphia County|Philadelphia]] | subdivision_type3 = [[List of Philadelphia neighborhoods|Neighborhood]] | subdivision_name3 = {{Flag|Philadelphia}} | established_title = Incorporated | established_date =1854 | area_total_sq_mi = 2.83 | population_total =20,069 | population_density_sq_mi= auto | population_as_of =2010 |postal_code_type= |postal_code= 19111 |area_codes=[[Area codes 215, 267, and 445|215, 267, and 445]] | mapsize = 300px | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Philadelphia | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_caption = | pushpin_mapsize = | coordinates = {{coord|40.0731|-75.0763|type:city_globe:earth_region:US-PA|display=ti}} }}
'''Fox Chase''' is a neighborhood in the [[Northeast Philadelphia|Northeast]] section of [[Philadelphia]], located approximately {{cvt|10|mi|km}} northeast of [[Center City, Philadelphia|Center City]]. Although its borders are not officially defined, the neighborhood is generally bounded by [[Pennypack Park]] to the north, Algon Avenue to the east, [[Pennsylvania Route 73|Cottman Avenue]] to the south, and Fillmore Street to the west. Adjacent neighborhoods include [[Bustleton, Philadelphia|Bustleton]], [[Rhawnhurst, Philadelphia|Rhawnhurst]], [[Burholme, Philadelphia|Burholme]], and [[Rockledge, Pennsylvania|Rockledge]] (a borough in Montgomery County). Fox Chase uses the 19111 [[zip code]].
==History== [[File: Fox Chase Hotel.jpg|thumb|The exterior of the Old Fox Chase Hotel, long a familiar landmark at the bending intersection of Oxford Avenue and Pine Road, near Rhawn. The hotel, built in 1705, developed a thriving stagecoach business with the opening of the Fox Chase and Huntingdon Turnpike in 1848. Before 1870, it was owned by Elijah Hoffman, who operated it for many years. The hotel was sold and razed in 1940 to make way for a gasoline station.]] Fox Chase was historically part of [[Lower Dublin Township, Pennsylvania|Lower Dublin Township]], also known as Dublin Township, a defunct [[Township (Pennsylvania)|township]] located in [[Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania]]. The township ceased to exist and was incorporated into the [[Philadelphia|City of Philadelphia]] following the passage of the [[Act of Consolidation, 1854]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
Philadelphia's elite once flocked to opulent vacation homes built in the lush fringes bordering the city. The area's character changed with the arrival of the railroad in 1876. Many of Philadelphia's [[Old Philadelphians|aristocracy]] began to discover the attractiveness of [[suburb]]an living, and built [[mansion]]s here, using the railroad for convenient transport into the city.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} The neighborhood was named after affluent colonists came to hunt in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Winberg |first=Michaela |date=2018-07-06 |title=How 43 Philly neighborhoods got their names |url=https://billypenn.com/2018/07/06/how-43-philly-neighborhoods-got-their-names/ |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=Billy Penn at WHYY |language=en-US}}</ref> A [[chase (land)]] is a specific area of land reserved for hunting. [[File:Knowlton.JPG|thumb|[[Knowlton Mansion]]]] Fox Chase was the setting for one of America's longest running cold cases. In February 1957, the battered body of a small boy was found in a cardboard box off in the woods off Susquehanna Road. Investigators were mystified and were unable to determine his identity. Nicknamed "[[Murder of Joseph Augustus Zarelli|The Boy in the Box]]", "America's Unknown Child", and sometimes "The Fox Chase Boy".<ref>{{cite news |date=11 November 2020 |title=Vidocq Society Believes They Are Close To Figuring Out 'The Boy In The Box' In 61-Year-Old Philly Cold Case |url=https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2020/11/11/memorial-services-held-for-boy-in-the-box-decades-after-murder-remains-unsolved-mystery/ |access-date=25 September 2021 |work=CBS News}}</ref> He was identified as Joseph Augustus Zarelli in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-08 |title=Philadelphia Police identify the "Boy in the Box" after 65 years |url=https://phl17.com/phl17-news/philadelphia-police-identify-the-boy-in-the-box-after-65-years/ |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=PHL17.com |language=en-US |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208161504/https://phl17.com/phl17-news/philadelphia-police-identify-the-boy-in-the-box-after-65-years/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Location and surrounding areas== The Fox Chase section is located on the border with [[Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Montgomery County]] and there is an active and cooperative business community that crosses the county line into Rockledge and [[Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania|Huntingdon Valley]]. [[Image:PennypackFoxChase.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Pennypack Park]] in Fox Chase]] One of many [[park]]s located within Fox Chase is [[Pennypack Park]]. It is composed of woodlands, meadows and wetlands. The banks of the Pennypack Creek runs through the park from Pine Road in Fox Chase all the way to the [[Delaware River]]. The area also includes playgrounds, hiking and bike trails as well as bridle paths for horseback riding. The Pennypack Environmental Center on Verree Road is also located within the neighborhood. Many historic structures are still intact throughout Fox Chase. The Verree House on Verree Road was the site of a raid by [[United Kingdom|British]] troops during the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Northeast Philadelphia |url=https://bricep.net/archive/northeast_philly_history/vereeville.html |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=bricep.net}}</ref> The trained eye can rediscover abandoned railroad grades, remnants of early mills, mill races and other reminders that generations of mankind have gathered in the "Green Heart" of [[Northeast Philadelphia]]. [[Image:FarmFoxChase.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Fox Chase Farm]] seen from Pine Road]][[Fox Chase Farm]] is one of the few remaining active farms in Philadelphia County and is used extensively by the [[School District of Philadelphia]]. It began in 1683 as a land grant from [[William Penn]] to [[Lord Stanley]] and then passed to the McVeigh family for over 100 years. Later, the Wistar family developed it into a self-sufficient farm until it became a Gentlemen's Farm owned by two farmers, Lorimer and Butler. Friends of Fox Chase Farm, an all-volunteer group, currently assists in maintaining and preserving this pastoral treasure for present and future generations.
William Rhawn, president of the National Bank of the Republic in 1879, built a summer residence here. To design the project, he chose architect [[Frank Furness]], whose work was synonymous with the mansions and public buildings of the [[Gilded Age]]. The banker's country estate includes a carriage house and gatekeeper's house. He called the estate “[[Knowlton Mansion|Knowlton]]” because it resembled the estate in [[England]] of Rhawn's wife's great-grandfather, John Knowles. It has since been converted into a catering establishment.
[[File:Ryerss Victorian Mansion in Burholme Park in the Fox Chase neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania LCCN2011633355.tif|200px|left|thumb|[[Ryerss Mansion]]]] [[Ryerss Mansion]] is also located in Fox Chase.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kyriakodis |first=Harry |date=2017-09-19 |title=Inside Northeast Philly's Temple Of Ryerss |url=https://hiddencityphila.org/2017/09/inside-northeast-phillys-temple-of-ryerss/ |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=Hidden City Philadelphia |language=en-US}}</ref> The house was built by merchant Joseph Waln Ryerss in 1859 and dramatically overlooks [[Burholme park|Burholme Park]], one of the highest vistas in Philadelphia. The mansion is home to a massive and eccentric collection of artifacts and antiquities from around the world, collected during the Ryerss family's extensive travels and exotic sojourns, from Europe, to Africa, to the Far East.
Among the historic properties located in this neighborhood are:<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jaffe |first=Alan |date=October 4, 2010 |title=Look Up! 19th Century rural retreats in Northeast Philly |url=https://whyy.org/articles/look-19th-century-rural-retreats-northeast-philly/ |access-date=2025-01-15 |website=WHYY |language=en-US}}</ref> * [[Knowlton Mansion]], designed by [[Frank Furness]]; on the National Register of Historic Places * [[Ryerss Mansion]], home of Joseph Waln Ryerss; on the National Register of Historic Places * The Verree House, site of a raid by British troops during the [[American Revolutionary War]]
==Demographics==
The median age is 36.6 years for males and 39.0 years for females. Married couples made up 40.3 percent of the neighborhood's population. The neighborhood was 80.37 Caucasian, 8.63 percent African American, 4.75 percent Asian, 2.58 percent mixed race, .07 percent Native Hawaiian and 3.6 percent other race.
The median household income for Fox Chase was $54,870 in 2011, compared with $34,207 for Philadelphia as a whole. The population below the poverty level in Fox Chase was 10 percent, compared with 28.4 percent for Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/Fox-Chase-Philadelphia-PA.html |title=Fox Chase, Philadelphia, PA|website=city-data.com|access-date=January 12, 2015}}</ref>
==Business==
The largest employer of Fox Chase is the internationally known [[Fox Chase Cancer Center]], a unique facility that merges cancer research with the treatment of cancer.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} Its researchers have won [[Nobel Prize]]s for their contributions.
==Transportation== [[File:Fox Chase SEPTA station.jpg|thumb|Fox Chase [[SEPTA]] station]] Public transportation is provided by several [[SEPTA]] bus routes and the [[Fox Chase Line]] regional rail service which terminates near Rhawn Street and Oxford Avenue.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
==Education== ===Public libraries=== The Fox Chase Branch of the [[Philadelphia Free Library]] is located at 501 Rhawn St. at Jeanes Street.<ref>"[http://libwww.library.phila.gov/branches/branch.cfm?loc=FOX Fox Chase Branch]." ''[[Free Library of Philadelphia]]''. Retrieved on November 7, 2008.</ref>
===Schools=== Fox Chase Elementary School a.k.a. Fox Chase Academics Plus School is a public elementary school of the [[School District of Philadelphia]].<ref>"[https://webapps.philasd.org/sp_files/boundary_maps/8260.pdf Fox Chase Elementary School Geographic Boundaries] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161211083106/https://webapps.philasd.org/sp_files/boundary_maps/8260.pdf |date=2016-12-11 }}." [[School District of Philadelphia]]. Retrieved on December 11, 2016.</ref> Located at 500 Rhawn St. near the library, it serves children grades K to 5.
Students move on to Baldi Middle School,<ref>"[https://webapps.philasd.org/sp_files/boundary_maps/8160.pdf C. C. A. Baldi Middle School Geographic Boundaries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023818/https://webapps.philasd.org/sp_files/boundary_maps/8160.pdf |date=2016-03-04 }}." [[School District of Philadelphia]]. Retrieved on December 11, 2016.</ref> and [[George Washington High School (Philadelphia)|George Washington High School]].<ref>"[https://webapps.philasd.org/sp_files/boundary_maps/8030.pdf George Washington High School Geographic Boundaries] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024134/https://webapps.philasd.org/sp_files/boundary_maps/8030.pdf |date=2016-03-04 }}." [[School District of Philadelphia]]. Retrieved on December 11, 2016.</ref>
Saint Cecilia is a Roman Catholic School, from grades Pre-K to 8. Saint Cecilia's is a part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Saint Cecilia School and church is located on 535 Rhawn St.
==Houses of worship== [[Image:ChurchFoxChase.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Fox Chase United Methodist Church, Loney & Fillmore Streets]] [[File:St. Stephen Orthodox Cathedral - Philadelphia 02.jpg|thumb|200px|St. Stephen Orthodox Cathedral, Verree Road]] *Fox Chase United Methodist Church is located at 201 Loney St. at the intersection of Filmore and Loney streets. *St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 535 Rhawn St., also has a school with grades from kindergarten to eighth grade. The "new" church opened in 1955 and the first church was located just to the west of the "new" church. It was built underground with the expectations of adding an upper level, but the depression in 1929 and World War II caused this addition to be held off until 1955. *St. Stephen Orthodox Cathedral is located at 8598 Verree Road (next to Pennypack Park). *Bethel International Missions Center, 460 Rhawn St., a Brazilian congregation. *Memorial Presbyterian Church of Fox Chase, 7902 Oxford Ave., founded in 1884.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
==Location== Fox Chase's boundaries are: * Northeast/East, [[Pennypack Creek]] ([[Bustleton, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]) * West/Northwest, Filmore Street ([[Rockledge, Pennsylvania]] and [[Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Abington, Pennsylvania]]) * Southwest, Township Line Road ([[Cheltenham, Pennsylvania]]) * South, Cottman Avenue ([[Lawncrest, Philadelphia]], [[Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania|Cheltenham Township]] and [[Elkins Park, Pennsylvania]]) * East, Algon Avenue ([[Rhawnhurst, Philadelphia|Rhawnhurst]] section of [[Philadelphia]])
==Notable residents==
*[[Erick Stakelbeck]] (born 1976), author and television host<ref>{{cite news |date=September 4, 2014 |title=Local honorees to be awarded by Zionist organization |url=https://northeasttimes.com/2014/09/04/local-honorees-to-be-awarded-by-zionist-organization/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810225230/https://northeasttimes.com/2014/09/04/local-honorees-to-be-awarded-by-zionist-organization/ |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |work=Northeast Times}}</ref>
== See also == {{commons category}} {{Portal|Philadelphia}} * [[Fox Chase Cancer Center]] *[[Knowlton Mansion]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.foxchasehomeowners.org/ Fox Chase Homeowners Association] * [http://www.foxchasesoccer.org/ Fox Chase Soccer Club] * [http://webgui.phila.k12.pa.us/schools/f/foxchase/ Fox Chase Elementary School] * [http://www.foxrokaa.com/ Fox-Rok Athletic Association] * [http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Search.aspx?type=area&neighborhood=Fox%2BChase&updateDays=0&sortOrderM=Distance&minx=2708961.888286&miny=271961.185731&maxx=2723211.888286&maxy=288586.185731&start=0&limit=12&mstart=0&mlimit=12 Historic Photographs of Fox Chase], PhillyHistory.org * [https://www.localcemeteries.net/montgomery-county/2017/9/5/st-marys-ukrainian-cemetery St. Mary's Ukrainian Cemetery] / 438 Cedar Road, Fox Chase, Pennsylvania.
{{NEPhila}}
[[Category:Fox Chase, Philadelphia| ]] [[Category:Neighborhoods in Philadelphia]] [[Category:1705 establishments in Pennsylvania]]