# Packer Park, Philadelphia > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Packer_Park%2C_Philadelphia > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Packer_Park%2C_Philadelphia.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packer_Park%2C_Philadelphia > Source revision: 1309736986 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Packer Park, Philadelphia" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article contains promotional content. Please help improve it by removing promotional language and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from a neutral point of view. See our advice if the article is about you and read our scam warning in case someone asks for money to edit this article. (September 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Community area in Pennsylvania, United States Packer Park Community area Packer Park Meadow Lake with baseball fields behind it. Interstate 95 borders the park, with the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard behind it. Above an airplane begins its landing at Philadelphia International Airport. Packer Park Coordinates: 39°54′32″N 75°10′42″W / 39.9088°N 75.1782°W / 39.9088; -75.1782 Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia City Philadelphia Neighborhoods list Packer Park, Philadelphia Area • Total 2.01 sq mi (5.21 km2) Elevation 20 ft (6.1 m) Demographics Time zone UTC-5 (EST) • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT) Zip Codes parts of 19145 **Packer Park** is a [neighborhood](/source/Neighborhood) in the [South Philadelphia](/source/South_Philadelphia) section of [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania), United States that originally included 1,000 homes built in two unique builder developments, of Packer Park in the 1950s and Brinton Estates during the 1990s. It is now one of four residential communities to be designated as **Packer Park**. The original footprint community is also one of four adjacent communities that form Philadelphia's [Sports Complex Special Services District](/source/Sports_Complex_Special_Services_District). The approximate boundaries are Packer Avenue to the north, Hartranft Street to the south including FDR Park farther south, Broad Street to the east known as the [Southern Parkway](/source/Southern_Boulevard_Parkway_(Philadelphia%2C_Pennsylvania)), and I-76 to the far west. Packer Park has been considered home to one of the most organized community groups in the South Philadelphia region.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] ## Overview The area was a section of [Passyunk Township](/source/Passyunk_Township%2C_Pennsylvania), a defunct township that was located in [Philadelphia County](/source/Philadelphia_County%2C_Pennsylvania) and originally occupied by settlers from [New Sweden](/source/New_Sweden). The township ceased to exist and was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia following the passage of the [Act of Consolidation, 1854](/source/Act_of_Consolidation%2C_1854). The [American Swedish Historical Museum](/source/American_Swedish_Historical_Museum) located in [Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park](/source/Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt_Park) on the southern border of the Packer Park community memorializes the Swedish ethnic history. To the immediate east is the South Philadelphia sports complex consisting of [Citizens Bank Park](/source/Citizens_Bank_Park), [Lincoln Financial Field](/source/Lincoln_Financial_Field), [Xfinity Mobile Arena](/source/Xfinity_Mobile_Arena), and the dining complex of [Stateside Live!](/source/Stateside_Live!). This was also the former site of now demolished [Veterans Stadium](/source/Veterans_Stadium), the [Spectrum](/source/Spectrum_(arena)) and [John F. Kennedy Stadium](/source/John_F._Kennedy_Stadium_(Philadelphia)). ## Packer Park Packer Avenue itself was named in honor of [William Fisher Packer](/source/William_Fisher_Packer), a former governor of Pennsylvania,[1] and was built as an approach to the American International exposition grounds of the [Sesquicentennial Exposition](/source/Sesquicentennial_Exposition) of 1926. Following 1926, the exposition was demolished and the [US Navy](/source/US_Navy) built temporary housing on the site. The Navy abandoned the site and moved families to new housing west of Penrose Avenue. This opened up the site to the private development of Packer Park on what was reclaimed swampy land and preserved the vitality of the borders of Broad Street's Southern Blvd, together with the [Olmsted Brothers](/source/Olmsted_Brothers) architecturally designed landscaped [FDR Park](/source/FDR_Park) on the south and [Marconi Plaza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania](/source/Marconi_Plaza%2C_Philadelphia%2C_Pennsylvania) Park on the upper north. FDR Park is 348 acres (1.41 km2) which include a 146-acre (0.59 km2) golf course, about 125 acres (0.51 km2) of buildings and managed landscapes, and about 77 acres (310,000 m2) of natural lands including ponds and lagoons. Also on the south side from Packer Avenue to Hartranft Street is the [Philadelphia Eagles](/source/Philadelphia_Eagles) Football Practice Field, Novacare Center, and Vendemmia Square maintaining large green areas from the site of the former U.S. Naval Hospital. Along the six blocks from Broad Street to 20th on Hartranft Street is a landscaped pedestrian walkway park lined with trees and seasonal plants, nicknamed the "Gladway" (memorializing the 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition green area of rows of hundreds of Gladiolus). The Packer Park urban townhouses distinguish themselves in South Philadelphia by departing from the Philadelphia grid of streets and blocks of dense rowhouses. This included culs-de-sac that were designed with a greater emphasis on a green park setting with common green spaces and accommodation for driveways and off street car parking. The community soon became populated by a large third-generation [Italian](/source/Italians) and [Italian Americans](/source/Italian_Americans). ## Geary Estates 10 townhomes were built on the block of 1900 Geary Street at the site of the former Holy Spirit convent.[*[when?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers#Chronological_items)*] ## West (The Reserve) The Packer Park community name expanded in 2003–2007 adjacent to the original footprint became known as the "Reserve" at Packer Park, a separate housing development of 230 homes built on a triangular land area to the west of 20th Street, north of Pattison, east of Penrose Avenue. The Reserve was built on what was formerly a United States naval housing site, built in 1962 and abandoned in 1995 after the Cold War. The Capehart property, a designated ACT II site, housed nearly 400 naval families in two-story townhouse structures separated using a cul-del-sac street design. Upon the Military Base Closing Act in 1995, the United States government deeded the 27+1⁄2-acre Brownfield property to the city of Philadelphia. New luxury townhouses were built on the site by a private developer, John Westrum and Real Estate agent, daughter of the original Packer Park developer, Barbara Capozzi, who styled these homes for families. The colonial-styled architecture incorporated the "green technology" of environmentally adaptive re-use of existing piles and foundations, infrastructure, and materials previously built by the Navy. The existing street layout preserved green areas augmented with large back yards, open area pocket parks and tot lots. The streets and cul-de-sacs were renamed to memorialize sections of Italy to reflect the Italian-American population. ## West (Siena Place) The Packer Park community expanded in 2008 with the groundbreaking of a new townhouse community composed of 313 townhomes named Siena Place. The development is set on a 30-acre land parcel in South Philadelphia and uses the Packer Park neighborhood name in its marketing program. The community is home to several prominent Philadelphia professional athletes, including members of the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers and Wings because of the convenience and security the neighborhood offers. ## East (Stella Maris Homes) The Packer Park community name extended for a separate 1950s development of about 500 homes, commonly associated with the "Stella Maris" parish housing on 13th street for the priest and nuns until the buildings were completed on 10th and Bigler Street. Thereafter, the area took on the name of the 1960s Stadium built on vacant land to the south border and later demolished to make way for a baseball stadium and known as [Veterans Stadium](/source/Veterans_Stadium) Homes. located west of Broad Street from Packer Avenue south to Geary Street and bordering the expansive parking lots of the Baseball Stadium. The parking lot border includes a large raised buffered zone of green space with dense trees and grass. ## South (Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park) [Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park](/source/Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt_Park) was established in the late 1800s. It was originally named [League Island Park](/source/League_Island_Park) and locally became known as the "Lakes", is an aesthetically landscaped designed park by the famous park architects [Olmsted Brothers](/source/Olmsted_Brothers) known for New York's [Central Park](/source/Central_Park). In 1948, it was renamed FDR Park, defined as located along the Delaware River in the southernmost point of [South Philadelphia](/source/South_Philadelphia%2C_Pennsylvania), comprising some 348 acres (1.41 km2) which includes a 146-acre (0.59 km2) [golf course](/source/Golf_course), approximately 125 acres (0.51 km2) of buildings, roadways, pathways for walking, [landscaped architecture](/source/Landscape_architecture), and a variety of picnic and recreation areas placed within about 77 acres (310,000 m2) of natural lands including ponds and lagoons. ## Education Donatucci Branch The [School District of Philadelphia](/source/School_District_of_Philadelphia) operates public schools. The [Free Library of Philadelphia](/source/Free_Library_of_Philadelphia) Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr. Branch (formerly the Passyunk Branch) serves Packer Park. The library received its current name in 2004.[2] ## See also - [Philadelphia portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Philadelphia) - [Pennsylvania portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Pennsylvania) - [Aquarama Aquarium Theater of the Sea](/source/Aquarama_Aquarium_Theater_of_the_Sea) - [Naval Hospital Philadelphia](/source/Naval_Hospital_Philadelphia) - [Sesquicentennial Exposition](/source/Sesquicentennial_Exposition) - [FDR Park](/source/FDR_Park) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Winberg, Michaela (July 6, 2018). ["How 43 Philly neighborhoods got their names"](http://billypenn.com/2018/07/06/how-43-philly-neighborhoods-got-their-names/). *Billy Penn at WHYY*. Retrieved June 2, 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** "[Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr.](http://libwww.freelibrary.org/branches/branch.cfm?loc=PAS)." [Free Library of Philadelphia](/source/Free_Library_of_Philadelphia). Retrieved on October 19, 2012. ## External links - [Historic Photographs of Packer Park](http://www.phillyhistory.org/PhotoArchive/Search.aspx?type=area&neighborhood=Packer%2BPark&updateDays=0&sortOrderM=Distance&minx=2677807.449962&miny=201887.576321&maxx=2706307.449962&maxy=235137.576321&start=0&limit=24&mstart=0&mlimit=12), PhillyHistory.org - [Sports Complex Special Services District](http://www.scssd.org/) v t e Communities of Philadelphia Former municipalities are below. Sections and Neighborhoods Center City Avenue of the Arts Broad Street Chinatown Fitler Square Franklin Square Jewelers' Row Logan Square Old City Penn's Landing Rittenhouse Square Society Hill South Street Washington Square West South Bella Vista Central South Philadelphia Devil's Pocket Dickinson Square West East Passyunk Crossing Fabric Row FDR Park Girard Estate Grays Ferry Greenwich Hawthorne Italian Market Little Saigon Lower Moyamensing Marconi Plaza Moyamensing Newbold Packer Park Passyunk Square Pennsport Point Breeze Queen Village Southwark Southwest Center City Sports Complex West Passyunk Wharton Whitman Wilson Park Southwest Angora Bartram Village Clearview Eastwick Elmwood Park Hog Island Kingsessing Mount Moriah Paschall Southwest Schuylkill West Avenue of Technology Belmont Village Carroll Park Cathedral Park Centennial District Cedar Park Cobbs Creek Dunlap Garden Court Haddington Haverford North Mantua Mill Creek Overbrook Overbrook Farms Overbrook Park Parkside Powelton Village Saunders Park Spruce Hill Squirrel Hill 30th Street Station University City Walnut Hill Woodland Terrace Wynnefield Wynnefield Heights North Lower North Badlands Belfield Brewerytown Callowhill Cecil B. Moore El Centro de Oro / Fairhill Fairmount Francisville Hartranft Ivy Hill Ludlow N3RD Street North Central Northern Liberties North Philadelphia East North Philadelphia West Poplar Sharswood South Lehigh Spring Garden Stanton Strawberry Mansion Yorktown Upper North Allegheny West Badlands Franklinville Glenwood Hunting Park Nicetown–Tioga Olde Kensington Swampoodle West Kensington Olney-Oak Lane East Oak Lane Feltonville Fern Rock Koreatown Logan Ogontz Olney West Oak Lane Northwest Lower Northwest Andorra East Falls Manayunk Parkland Roxborough Wissahickon Upper Northwest Beggarstown Cedarbrook Chestnut Hill Germantown Morton Mount Airy Wister Northeast Near Northeast Burholme Castor Gardens Crescentville Fox Chase Frankford Holme Circle Holmesburg Juniata Lawndale Lexington Park Mayfair Oxford Circle Rhawnhurst Ryers Tacony Wissinoming Far Northeast Academy Gardens Ashton-Woodenbridge Bustleton Byberry Crestmont Farms Millbrook Modena Park Morrell Park Normandy Parkwood Pennypack Somerton Torresdale Upper Holmesburg Winchester Park River Wards Bridesburg Fishtown Harrowgate Kensington Olde Richmond Port Richmond Former Municipalities Cities Philadelphia (Center City) Boroughs Aramingo Bridesburg Frankford Germantown Manayunk West Philadelphia Whitehall Districts Belmont Kensington Moyamensing Northern Liberties Penn Richmond Southwark Spring Garden Townships Blockley Bristol Byberry Delaware Germantown Kingsessing Lower Dublin Moreland Northern Liberties Oxford Passyunk Penn Roxborough Footnotes As a consolidated city-county Philadelphia is its own county seat. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Packer Park, Philadelphia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packer_Park%2C_Philadelphia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packer_Park%2C_Philadelphia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.