In 1948 the City Planning Commission certified plans to “redevelop” Society Hill. In 1956, the Old Philadelphia Development Corporation (OPDC) joined the Redevelopment Authority to design proposals for “redevelopment” in 1956. The Redevelopment Authority then acquired 31 acres of land in the Dock Street area in 1958 by having it declared a “blighted area.”
Around 1960, property owners were forced to renovate their properties to the imposed standards of the redevelopment authority or face having their property declared blighted and involuntarily bought out.
William L. Day, a banker and head of the OPDC, led a group of white-collar businessmen which sold a development contract to Webb & Knapp, Inc., which in turn sold their stock to Alcoa Residence Properties. By 1962, the I.M. Pei-designed Society Hill Towers, a 3-building high-rise apartment complex with acres of greenery surrounding the buildings, had been constructed, in addition to 25 additional townhouses, on the site of the old Dock Street markets.
As the project grew, investor demand ballooned, prompting the Redevelopment Authority to acquire an additional 58 acres for “revitalization.”
Quick Facts
The affluent community of Society Hill leaves little trace or commemoration of its Black history, while its’ colonial history has been meticulously reconstructed, maintained, and emphasized.
The Media portrayed Society Hill’s revitalization as a progressive elite project, with little to no mention of the existing community’s displacement.
The ODPC and the Housing Revelopment Authority essentially had carte blanche to “acquire” acreage for “redevelopment.”
