The history of displacement in Northern Liberties differs from that of other Philadelphia neighborhoods in that the redevelopment and gentrification of the area filled in what were previously vacant houses and lots.
Eastern European Catholic, Christian, and Jewish immigrants populated the dense area from the mid-19th century until the mid-20th century. Loss of manufacturing jobs plus the promise of more space and higher-performing schools led to massive white flight from the city to the suburbs, a shift echoed in many other cities across the country. North Philadelphia race riots in 1964 hastened this move, and Northern Liberties, which lay southeast of the affected area, became a shell of its former self. On an average street in the early 1970′s, one could find only half the homes occupied.
This homeowner flight turned Northern Liberties from a residential and commercial district to an almost entirely commercial one. While neigborhood anchors such as Schmidt’s Brewery closed up shop, wholesale warehouses survived along 2nd street. The few residents who remained among the distributors were primarily older, poorer immigrant homeowners. Around this time, blacks and Latinos began to move into the area, but in very small numbers, and not nearly enough to occupy the available homes. Vacancies were also filled by the homeless, who squatted in derelict homes.
Redevelopment of Northern Liberties was based on two factors: cheap real estate, and proximity to Center City and Temple University (both by foot and by public transportation). Speculators came and went in the neighborhood throughout the late 1970′s and 1980′s, but true revitalization did not begin until the 1990′s. Residents created a Community Development Corporation to plan what they wanted the neighborhood known for. They decided to fashion the area as an entertainment district whose bars, restaurants, and nightlife would draw young people and families. 2nd Street, the former warehouse center, became home to anchor establishments like Standard Tap. Most recently, developer Bart Blatstein’s Piazza at Schmidt’s transformed the abandoned brewery complex into a mixed-use development of apartments, gastropubs, boutique clothing stores, and open-air space for parties and communal movie-watching.
With commercial revitalization focusing on entertainment, Northern Liberties has experienced much reconstruction, growth, and repopulation. The neighborhood has become an architectural playground of sorts, with both single-family homes and large condo developments breaking with the traditional red-brick rowhouse model. With such growth and prosperity come both higher home prices and higher real estate taxes, the former preventing low-income families from settling in the area, and the latter displacing older residents on fixed incomes. The neighborhood still remains racially diverse, though white residents are the majority.
