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Our Historic Area |
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| Wynnefield is named for Thomas Wynne (1627-1692) who immigrated from Caerwys, North Wales and became the personal physician to William Penn. Thomas Wynne was one of a large group of Quakers who settled Philadelphia. His family house, Wynnestay, remains standing in Wynnefield on Woodbine Avenue. Some say it was the first stone-built house in the state of Pennyslvania. (You history buffs might also want to know that Pennsylvania comes from the Welsh word for “head” which is “pen” with a single “n.” It does not, it seems come from William Penn’s own name). Since Welshman were very influential in early Philadelphia, the influence of the Welsh language is clear all over our area. Note town names like Bala Cynwyd, Gladwyne et al. It is said that when William Penn learned that Philadelphia’s major east-west streets had been named after the most prominent men in town: Claypoole, Holme, Songhurst and the Welshman, Thomas Wynne, his Quaker sensibilities were offended. Penn decreed that streets should not be named for men but for “the things that spontaneously grow in the country.” By the end of 1684, Claypoole became Walnut Street, Holme became Mulberry (now Arch) Street, Songhurst became Sassafras (now Race) Street, and Thomas Wynne’s street became Chestnut Street. |
| Today’s Wynnefield is one of Philadelphia’s most widely recognized neighborhood names. The neighborhood is known for its many beautiful single homes, its active community organization, and its racial diversity. A portion of St. Joseph’s University is located within the boundaries of this neighborhood, and commercial development exists in three areas: on City Avenue, along 54th Street, and near the intersection of Bryn Mawr and Wynnefield Avenues. Wynnefield is defined by City Avenue and Fairmount Park, and the Bala Golf Club and Cardinal Avenue. It’s population is about 16,000. The value of single family homes is above the norm for West Philadelphia in all sections of Wynnefield, but there is considerable variation in housing values within this diverse neighborhood. Residential development is greater in the row home vicinity of 54th & Berks than in the area near City Avenue where large, stately detached homes exist similar to those in the smaller adjoining neighborhoods of Overbrook Farms and Green Hill Farms. Wynnefield is a highly desirable place to live in Philadelphia.Saint Joseph UniversityAs far back as 1741, a Jesuit College in Philadelphia had been proposed and planned by Rev. Joseph Greaton, S.J., the first resident pastor of Saint Joseph’s Church. The suppression of the Jesuits (1773-1814) and lack of people and money delayed for over a hundred years the realization of Greaton’s plans.Before the end of the first academic year in 1851, the enrollment rose from fewer than 40 students to 97. In the following year, the college received its charter of incorporation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the enrollment grew to 126 students. The fledgling college soon outgrew an increasingly noisy and commercialized location on Willing’s Alley. The college moved in 1856 to a building at Juniper and Filbert Streets, then in a prosperous residential neighborhood near the future site of City Hall. In 1889, Saint Joseph’s inaugurated its third site at 17th and Stiles Streets in North Philadelphia, in the heart of Philadelphia’s booming industrial zone. In 1922, Saint Joseph’s opened the first college radio station on AM radio. In 1927, in recognition of population shifts toward the western part of the city and into the western suburbs, the college moved to its current location, 54th and City Avenue, at the entrance to Philadelphia’s fashionable Main Line. After World War II, Saint Joseph’s began to acquire properties across City Avenue on the Main Line itself, propelling the institution physically as well as culturally into the suburbs proper. |
Recent Developments and Plans
In 2005, the University agreed to purchase the Merion campus of neighboring Episcopal Academy. The acquisition adds containing 52 classrooms, eight laboratories, 113 offices, and of playing fields. Two gymnasiums, a pool, and a new dining hall are also planned for the new campus. After the announcement alumnus James J. Maguire ’58 donated $10 million to help fund the purchase, and Saint Joseph’s officials announced that the tract will be known as the James J. Maguire ’58 Campus. Maguire’s gift was later matched by a donation by Brian Duperreault ’69; the two donations are the largest single alumni gifts in Saint Joseph’s history.
The University recently completed a large parking facility on 54th Street, next to Borgia Hall, named “Hawks’ Landing”. The facility provides 471 enclosed parking spaces for students, faculty, staff, and basketball game attendees, as well as two first-floor restaurants including Cosi, which is adjacent to Borgia Hall, near Larry’s Steaks. The University Bookstore, which had been located in the middle of campus in Simpson Hall, was moved to the parking facility’s first floor in the center of the first floor for the beginning of the Spring 2008 semester.
On October 6, 2007, ground was broken on the Saint Joseph’s University Fieldhouse expansion and renovation. The facility has been renamed the Michael J. Hagan Arena. Flannigan Hall and Barry Annex were demolished during fall 2007 to make room for the Ramsay Center. The project includes a new hall of fame area, basketball suite, varsity locker rooms and offices as well as a full concourse with concessions that allows access to the arena from 54th and Overbrook. The expansion allows for an additional seating of 1,000 more people in the arena. The university received $7.5 million from the John R. Post family which will help build state-of-the-art library learning commons, beginning in 2013.
The rest of the $150 million will go to financial aid and scholarships, and hiring faculty. All of the money being raised is part of a fundraising effort called “With Faith and Strength To Dare: The Campaign For Saint Joseph’s University”.
The first floor of the Campion Student Center, including the main dining hall, was completely renovated during summer 2008. Finnesey Field has also been resurfaced.
A plan was recently proposed that, if accepted by the Board of Trustees, will lead to the tearing down of Sourin Hall and Tara Hall, both residence halls. A new residence hall would then be built in their place and another one would be built on Gest Lawn.
