Northern Liberties, Philadelphia

{{about|the Philadelphia district south of Kensington|the former township north of Kensington|Northern Liberties Township, Pennsylvania}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Northern Liberties District | native_name = | other_name = | settlement_type = [[List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania#Districts|Former District]]  | image_skyline = St._John%27s_Church,_Northern_Liberties.jpg | image_caption = [[St. John's Church, Philadelphia|St. John's Church]] | image_flag = | image_shield = | motto = | nickname = | etymology =  | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = United States | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = Pennsylvania | subdivision_type2 = County | subdivision_name2 = [[Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 =  | image_map = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = USA Pennsylvania#USA | pushpin_relief = | pushpin_map_caption = Location of Kensington District in Pennsylvania | coordinates = {{coord|39|57|47|N|75|08|42|W|display=inline,title}} | coordinates_footnotes =  | established_title = | established_date =  | area_footnotes = | dunam_link = | area_total_km2 = | area_total_sq_mi = | area_land_sq_mi = | area_water_sq_mi =  | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | elevation_ft =  | population_as_of = | population_footnotes = | population_total = | population_density_km2 = auto | population_density_sq_mi= | population_demonym =  | timezone1 = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]] | utc_offset1 = -5 | timezone1_DST = [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]] | utc_offset1_DST = -4 | timezone2 = | utc_offset2 = | timezone2_DST = | utc_offset2_DST =  | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = | area_codes = [[Area codes 215, 267, and 445|215, 267]] | geocode = | iso_code =  | website = | footnotes = }} {{Infobox NRHP | name =Northern Liberties Historic District | nrhp_type = hd | nocat = yes | image = 702 N 5th Philly.JPG | caption = Houses on North 5th Street | location = Roughly bounded by Brown, Boone & Galloway, Green & Wallace, and Fifth & Sixth Sts.<br/>[[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]] | coordinates = {{coord|39|57|47|N|75|08|42|W}} | locmapin = Philadelphia#Pennsylvania#USA | built = 1791 | area = {{convert|20.5|acre}} | architect = | architecture = Greek Revival, Italianate, Federal | added = October 31, 1985 | refnum = 85003471<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref> }}

'''Northern Liberties''' is a neighborhood in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], United States. It is north of [[Center City, Philadelphia|Center City]] along the [[Delaware River]]. Prior to its incorporation into Philadelphia in 1854, it was among the top 10 largest cities in the U.S. in every census from 1790 to 1840, and 11th in 1850. It was a major manufacturing area that attracted many European immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the early 21st century, it has attracted many young professionals and new commercial and residential development.

==Boundaries== Northern Liberties is located north of [[Center City, Philadelphia|Center City]] (specifically, [[Old City, Philadelphia|Old City]]) and is bordered by [[Girard Avenue]] to the north; Callowhill Street to the south; North 6th Street to the west; and the [[Delaware River]] to the east (from Callowhill Street to Laurel Street; from Laurel Street to Girard Avenue the eastern boundary is North Front Street).

The historical boundaries were slightly different, with [[Vine Street (Philadelphia)|Vine Street]] as the southern border and the [[Cohocksink Creek]] serving as the northern border. The creek now flows as a storm sewer under the following streets (starting at the Delaware River and running from southeast to northwest): Canal, Laurel, Bodine, Cambridge, and Orkney Streets.

==History==

{{US Census population | 1790 = 9913 | 1800 = 10718 | 1810 = 19874 | 1820 = 19678 | 1830 = 28872 | 1840 = 34474 | 1850 = 47223 }}

Originally a portion of the [[Northern Liberties Township, Pennsylvania|Northern Liberties Township]], the district first gained limited autonomy from the township by an Act of [[Pennsylvania General Assembly|Assembly]] on March 9, 1771. The Act provided for the appointment of persons to regulate streets, direction of buildings, etc. By March 30, 1791 a second Act enabled the inhabitants of that portion of the Northern Liberties between Vine Street and Pegg's Run ([[Cohoquinoque Creek]]) and the middle of Fourth Street and the Delaware River to elect three commissioners to lay taxes for the purpose of lighting, watching and establishing pumps within those bounds.

During the [[yellow fever]] epidemics of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the Northern Liberties district was hard hit, with many fatalities.<ref>R. La Roche, Yellow Fever, Considered in its Historical, Pathological, Etiological, and Therapeutical Relations, Philadelphia, 1855, 525.</ref>

On March 28, 1803, the Legislature passed an act to incorporate that part of the township of the Northern Liberties lying between the west side of Sixth Street and the [[Delaware River]] and between Vine Street and Cohocksink Creek, thus creating the District of Northern Liberties. Under the [[Act of Consolidation, 1854]], the district ceased to exist, and became a part of Philadelphia.

Early in its history, the location just outside Philadelphia allowed the area to thrive in manufacturing, as mills, breweries, leather tanneries, paints and chemical works, tool making factories, and iron and stove foundries once lined the neighborhood. It also holds the status as a famous [[Red light district|red-light district]] in the [[United States]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kyriakodis |first1=Harry |title=Northern Liberties: The Story of a Philadelphia River Ward |date=30 October 2012 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-61423-748-8 |page=1787 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H7BxCwAAQBAJ&dq=Northern+Liberties%2C+Philadelphia+red+light+district&pg=PA1787 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bartlett |first1=Ray |title=Lonely Planet Pocket Philadelphia |date=February 2025 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-83758-714-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FQxLEQAAQBAJ&dq=Northern+Liberties%2C+Philadelphia+red+light+district&pg=PT214 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Green |first1=Jennifer L. |title=Dark History of Penn's Woods: Murder, Madness, and Misadventure in Southeastern Pennsylvania |date=4 January 2023 |publisher=Brookline Books |isbn=978-1-955041-01-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FeNDEAAAQBAJ&dq=Northern+Liberties%2C+Philadelphia+red+light+district&pg=PA49 |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Richmond |first1=Simon |last2=Balfour |first2=Amy C. |last3=Bartlett |first3=Ray |last4=Clark |first4=Gregor |last5=Grosberg |first5=Michael |last6=Kluepfel |first6=Brian |last7=Zimmerman |first7=Karla |title=Lonely Planet New York & the Mid-Atlantic |date=March 2025 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-83758-717-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=201TEQAAQBAJ&dq=Northern+Liberties%2C+Philadelphia+red+light+district&pg=PT357 |language=en}}</ref> Prior to annexation, the township was created as a less densely populated alternative to nearby Philadelphia. Because of this, it was later known colloquially as "Philadelphia's first suburb."However, the [[Southwark, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Southwark]] neighborhood claims this distinction as well.

Artisan immigrants from Germany settled in the Northern Liberties in great numbers in the 19th century. In the first decades of the 20th century, the area saw an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe. Numbers of Slovak and Romanians left the challenges they faced in the waning years of the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian Empire]]. Slovaks established St. Agnes Slovak Roman Catholic Church at the intersection of Fourth and Brown Street. The Romanians who settled in the area established Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church at the intersection of American and Brown Streets, where they and their descendants continue to worship.

From 1860 to 1987, the [[Christian Schmidt Brewing Company]] was located in Northern Liberties.

In 1985, the Northern Liberties Historic District was created, dedicated to preserving the [[Italianate architecture]], [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek revival]], and [[Federal architecture|Federal style]] buildings which characterizes the area. The historic district is bounded by Brown, Boone and Galloway, Green and Wallace, and Fifth and Sixth Streets. The district encompasses 209 contributing buildings.<ref name=nrhpdoc>{{cite report|type=none|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997156 |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania SP Northern Liberties Historic District|publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |author= George E. Thomas| date = July 1985| access-date=January 4, 2026 }} ({{NationalArchivesNote}})</ref> It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1985.<ref>{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> Also located in Northern Liberties and listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the [[Daniel Boone School]], [[Burk Brothers and Company]], [[Integrity Title Insurance, Trust and Safe Deposit Company]], [[Thomas Jefferson School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)|Thomas Jefferson School]], [[Mifflin School]], and [[St. John's Church, Philadelphia|St. John's Church]].

==Today== [[File:Northern Liberties Philadelphia.jpg|right|thumb|220px|2nd Street]] In recent years, Northern Liberties has become a major enclave of young professionals, students, artists, and design professionals. Large improvement and revitalization projects have also been undertaken recently, causing a large jump in property values. The neighborhood's proximity to Center City has made it one of the city's most desirable development districts, both for commercial and residential real estate. Like most Philadelphia neighborhoods, the housing stock is primarily made up of [[rowhouse]]s, although new development in recent times has brought apartment and condominium complexes.

Northern Liberties contains two privately owned but public parks, both established and owned by non-profits run by the neighbors. Orianna Hill Park is known as an off-leash area for dogs; the other, Liberty Lands, is a {{convert|2|acre|m2|adj=on}} park and playground.

Northern Liberties is served by [[SEPTA]]'s [[Market–Frankford Line|Market–Frankford El]] with stops at [[Spring Garden (MFL station)|Spring Garden]] and [[Girard (MFL station)|Girard]]. The station at Spring Garden is unique for being in the median of [[Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania|I-95]]. The elevated line's tracks then break away from the expressway's right-of-way to tower over [[Front Street (Philadelphia)|Front Street]] through the neighborhood as it heads north away from Center City. [[File:German Society.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[German Society of Pennsylvania]]]] In 2005, service resumed on [[SEPTA]]'s long-delayed [[SEPTA Route 15|Girard Avenue trolley]] at the northern boundary of the neighborhood.

The doughboy statue, erected in memory of ward residents who served in [[World War I]], is a long-honored landmark of Northern Liberties.<ref>[http://planphilly.com/eyesonthestreet/2011/12/15/doughboy-park-renovation-nolibs PlanPhilly | Doughboy Park renovation takes shape in Northern Liberties]</ref> Northern Liberties, an area of the city geographically categorized as north of Old City and bordered by Girard Avenue to the north; Callowhill Street to the south; North 6th Street to the west; and the Delaware River to the east - locals refer to it as NoLibs. In 2012, ''[[Forbes]]'' named NoLibs as making #14 among their annual list of the 20 “Hippest Hipster Neighborhoods” in America.<ref>[http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/09/20/philadelphias-northern-liberties-makes-list-of-americas-top-hipster-neighborhoods Philadelphia’s Northern Liberties Makes List Of America’s Top Hipster Neighborhoods « CBS Philly]</ref>

==Economy==

The area is home to numerous boutique stores and small bars and restaurants.

[[Yards Brewing Company]] is located in Northern Liberties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yardsbrewing.com/contact|title=Contact|publisher=Yards Brewing Company|access-date=March 14, 2010|quote=901 N. Delaware Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19123|archive-date=July 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701023649/http://www.yardsbrewing.com/contact|url-status=dead}}</ref> The [[SEER Interactive]] headquarters are also located in the neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seerinteractive.com/contact-us|title=Contact Us|publisher=SEER Interactive|access-date=September 28, 2013|quote=1028 N. 3rd Street Philadelphia, PA 19123 United States}}</ref>

==Education== [[File:Boone School Philly A.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|The Daniel Boone School at Hancock and Wildey]]

===Primary and secondary schools=== Northern Liberties residents are assigned to schools in the [[School District of Philadelphia]].

Residents south of Poplar Street are zoned to the General Philip Kearny School for grades Kindergarten through 8.

Students zoned to Kearny are also zoned to [[Benjamin Franklin High School (Philadelphia)|Benjamin Franklin High School]].<ref name=2017admissions>"[http://webgui.phila.k12.pa.us/uploads/3u/OZ/3uOZaCxa60P-JNsu42DbPg/HS-Directory-2017.pdf High School Directory Fall 2017 Admissions]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20161107165127/http://webgui.phila.k12.pa.us/uploads/3u/OZ/3uOZaCxa60P-JNsu42DbPg/HS-Directory-2017.pdf Archive]). [[School District of Philadelphia]]. p. 30/70. Retrieved on November 16, 2016.</ref>

Residents north of Poplar Street are zoned to [[James R. Ludlow School]] for grades Kindergarten through 8<ref name="Boundarymap">"[http://www.centercityschools.com/public-schools-boundary-map K-8 Public Schools Boundary Map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918032612/http://www.centercityschools.com/public-schools-boundary-map |date=2008-09-18 }}." ''Center City Schools''. Retrieved on November 7, 2008.</ref> and [[Kensington High School (Philadelphia)|Kensington High School]] for grades 9 through 12.<ref>"[http://www.centercityschools.com/James_Ludlow/graduates.php Where the Graduates Go]{{Dead link|date=December 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." ''James R. Ludlow School''. Retrieved on November 7, 2008.</ref>

Other schools in Northern Liberties consist of: * Laboratory Charter School (one campus)<ref>[http://www.thelaboratorycharterschool.com/ Home]. Laboratory Charter School. Retrieved on December 31, 2016.</ref> * Walter D. Palmer Leadership Academy * [[Bodine High School for International Affairs]]

===Public libraries=== Residents are served by the Ramonita de Rodriguez Branch of the [[Free Library of Philadelphia]], which is located at 600 West Girard Avenue. The branch was known as the Girard Avenue Branch prior to the 1977 rename.<ref>"[http://libwww.library.phila.gov/branches/branch.cfm?loc=RGR Ramonita de Rodriguez Branch]." ''[[Free Library of Philadelphia]]''. Retrieved on November 7, 2008.</ref>

==Religious life==

===Churches and houses of worship=== * [[Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Philadelphia)|Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception]] * [[Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church (Northern Liberties), Philadelphia|Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Front and Allen Streets]] * [http://www.sciphiladelphia.org/ Seamens Church Institute, 475 N. 5th Street] * [[St. Andrew's Cathedral, Philadelphia|St. Andrew's Russian Orthodox Cathedral, 707 N 5th Street]] * [http://www.stjohnneumann.org/ St. Peter's Catholic Church,/St. John Neumann Shrine 5th Street and Girard Avenue] * [http://www.saintmichaelsroc.org St. Michael's Russian Orthodox, 335 Fairmount Avenue] * Covenant House of God, 721 N 5th Street * St. Agnes-St. John Slovak Catholic Church, 4th and Brown Streets * Second Christian Missionary, 1150 N 4th Street * [http://www.holytrinityphiladelphia.ro/en/index.html Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314023246/http://www.holytrinityphiladelphia.ro/en/index.html |date=March 14, 2012 }}, 723 N. Bodine Street

==Notable people==

[[File:001H0892 Gabe Kapler.jpg|thumb| 180px| [[Gabe Kapler]]]]

*[[Jake Elliott]] (born 1995), American football kicker *[[Daniel M. Fox]] (1819-1890), politician *[[Gabe Kapler]] (born 1975), Major League Baseball outfielder and manager<ref>[https://www.phillymag.com/news/2018/03/24/gabe-kapler-phillies-manager/ Inside the Brilliant, Baffling, and Utterly Fascinating Baseball Mind of Gabe Kapler – Philadelphia Magazine]</ref> *[[James Landy]] (1813–1875), politician *[[John T. McIntyre]] (1871–1951), novelist *[[William Millward]] (1822–1871), politician *[[Albert F. Sabo]] (1920–2002), lawyer and judge *[[Charles Yerkes]] (1837–1905), financier

==See also== {{Portal|Philadelphia}} *[[Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site]] {{clear}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category|Northern Liberties, Philadelphia}} *[http://www.northernliberties.org/ NorthernLiberties.org] NorthernLiberties.org - Created in 2001 - Home of the Northern Liberties Message Board, a bulletin board open to all. *[http://www.nlna.org/ Northern Liberties Neighbors Association (NLNA)] *[http://www.oriannahill.org Friends of Orianna Hill Park] *[http://www.phila.gov/phils/Docs/Inventor/graphics/wards/wards1.htm ''Chronology of the Political Subdivisions of the County of Philadelphia, 1683-1854''] ({{cite book |last1=Daly |first1=John |last2=Weinberg |first2=Allen |title=Genealogy of Philadelphia County Subdivisions |date=October 1966 |publisher=Philadelphia Dept. of Records |edition=Second |url=https://archive.org/details/genealogy-of-philadelphia-county-political-subdivisions-1687-1960}}) *[http://www.ushistory.org/philadelphia/incorporated.html Information] courtesy of [http://www.ushistory.org '''ushistory.org'''] *[http://www.ushistory.org/philadelphia/incorporated.html Incorporated District, Boroughs, and Townships in the County of Philadelphia, 1854 By Rudolph J. Walther] - excerpted from the book at the ushistory.org website *[http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Search.aspx?type=area&updateDays=0&sortOrderM=Distance&minx=2697353.285285&miny=238324.093363&maxx=2700915.785285&maxy=242480.343363&start=0&limit=24&mstart=0&mlimit=12 Historic Photographs of Northern Liberties], ''Philly''History.org

[[Category:Northern Liberties, Philadelphia| ]] [[Category:Neighborhoods in Philadelphia]] [[Category:Municipalities in Philadelphia County prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854]] [[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia]] [[Category:Irish-American neighborhoods]] [[Category:Historic districts in Philadelphia]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1771]] [[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Former red-light districts in the United States]]