East Falls | |
|---|---|
 East Falls at Ridge Avenue and Midvale Avenue in September 2006 with theTwin Bridges in the background | |
  East Falls Location in Philadelphia | |
| Coordinates:40°01′01″N75°11′18″W / 40.0169°N 75.1883°W /40.0169; -75.1883 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Philadelphia County |
| City | Philadelphia |
| Area codes | 215, 267 and 445 |
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East Falls (alsoThe Falls, formerlythe Falls of Schuylkill) is aneighborhood inLower Northwest, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, United States. It lies on the east bank of the "Falls of the Schuylkill," cataracts submerged in 1822 by theSchuylkill Canal andFairmount Water Works projects. East Falls sits next to theGermantown,Roxborough,Allegheny West, and theNicetown-Tioga neighborhoods.Wissahickon Valley Park separates it fromManayunk, Philadelphia.
The neighborhood runs along a few miles ofRidge Avenue, along the banks of theSchuylkill River, then extends northeast to Wissahickon Avenue. It overlooks the multi-use recreational path ofFairmount Park along Kelly Drive, and is desirable for its central location, an easy commute toCenter City with easy access to several major roadways and public transportation including theEast Falls station.
The largest center of commerce in East Falls is the Falls Center, which is home for over 18 businesses and an apartment complex.[citation needed]
Located on the banks of theSchuylkill River and next to Fairmount Park, East Falls provides year-round access to walking, jogging, and cycling trails. Street fairs, community clean-up days, a robust Community Association, and numerous volunteer opportunities typify life in East Falls. The recently completedArthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education Center offers instruction to Philadelphia youth in a 9.2-acre (37,000 m2), sixteen-court facility that operates in cooperation with the City of Philadelphia,School District of Philadelphia, and others. It was built with private funding in partnership with theCommonwealth of Pennsylvania.[citation needed]
East Falls is best known as the childhood home ofGrace Kelly, actress and Princess ofMonaco, who grew up at 3901 Henry Avenue. In addition, formerU.S. SenatorArlen Specter, author and Jewish studies scholarChaim Potok,Pennsylvania governor and formerPhiladelphia mayorEd Rendell owned homes in the neighborhood.Ravenhill Academy, a school for girls led by theReligious of the Assumption, a Roman Catholic order of nuns founded in France, was attended by Kelly andCorazon Aquino, former president of the Philippines. Ravenhill closed in 1977, its grounds and buildings are now part ofJefferson University East Falls Campus.
East Falls is the site of the demolished Schuylkill Falls Public Housing Project designed by architectOscar Stonorov. Constructed in 1953, Schuylkill Falls stood at Ridge Avenue near Calumet Street and was one of the most studied high-rise public housing designs in the U.S.[citation needed] The building stood vacant for many years and was demolished in 1996.
East Falls is home to historicLaurel Hill Cemetery, burial place of numerous prominent Philadelphians and other notables.
Thomas Mifflin School and the former Woman's Medical College, both located in East Falls, have been named to theNational Register of Historic Places.[1]
East Falls takes its name from its location on the east side of the Schuylkill Falls along theSchuylkill River at the originalline of waterfalls known as the 'Falls of the Schuylkill' where the river descends from the elevation of the Pennsylvania piedmont to the coastal plain occupied by the main part of theCity of Philadelphia. Thus East Falls was in colonial and Federalist times thehighest point on the river navigable down the river by boats not driven by a skilled pilot; accordingly the settlement housed a dock and became a transfer point to the Indian path converted into colonial roadways which later becameRidge Avenue and Germantown Avenue.
Before theWar of 1812,Josiah White andErskine Hazard harnessed the water power from the cataracts for a foundry, wire mill and nail manufactory. Their combined energy needs led them to learn how to successfully useanthracite in industrial heating during theWar of 1812 and to push for the legislation and corporation behind theSchuylkill Canal, then found theLehigh Coal & Navigation Company. In many respects, they bootstrapped theU.S. industrial revolution between 1820 and 1860 by building mines, canals, and railroads, including the first railroad over five miles long and bringing smelting ofanthracite pig iron to the United States.
The falls disappeared when the river level was raised by the construction of the dam at theFairmount Water Works, four miles downstream, but rocks still visible above the water mark the naturalfall line. Before the arrival of European settlers, theLenni Lenape Indians considered the lower Schuylkill River their home. TheWissahickon Creek runs into the Schuylkill here and separates East Falls fromWissahickon, Philadelphia. Today it is included as a part ofFairmount Park, providing walking and bike paths along its banks. Wissahickon is a merging of two Lenape words: "Wisaucksickan" meaning "yellow-colored creek", and "Wisamickan" meaning "catfish creek". In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries "catfish andwaffles" was a favorite food at the many inns and taverns that ran through the valley, and a catfish still serves as the weathervane atop theFree Library of Philadelphia Falls of Schuylkill Branch. East Falls, so named in the nineteenth century, had earlier been known asFalls of the Schuylkill orFalls Village.
In the 19th century, the Dobson Mills textile factory thrived there.[2]
As of thecensus[3] of 2000, the racial makeup of East Falls is 72.06%White, 19.98%African American, 4.79%Asian, and 0.86% fromother races. 2.58% of the population areHispanic orLatino of any race.
In 2005, the median home sale price in the 19129 ZIP code, which contains East Falls, was $184,000. This was an increase of 8% over the median sale price for 2004.
TheSchool District of Philadelphia operates public schools.
The Falls of Schuylkill Branch of theFree Library of Philadelphia located at Midvale Avenue and Warden Drive serves East Falls.[4]
