South Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (September 2009) |
| South Street | |
| Length: | 2.7 mi (4 km) |
|---|---|
| West end: | 33rd Street in University City |
| Major junctions: |
 I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) in University City PA 611 (Broad Street) in Center City |
| East end: | Front Street in Center City |
| Major cities: | Philadelphia |
South Street is an east-west street in the Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The stretch of South Street between Front Street and Seventh Street is known for its "bohemian" atmosphere and its diverse and urban mix of shops, bars, and eateries. It is one of Philadelphia's largest tourist attractions.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] History
Named Cedar Street in William Penn's plan of Philadelphia, South Street was the traditional southern boundary of Philadelphia's city limits before the city annexed the townships of Passyunk, Moyamensing and Southwark.
Until the 1950s, South Street was known mainly as a garment district, with stores for men's suits and other clothing. Real estate values plummeted after city planner Edmund Bacon and others proposed the "Crosstown Expressway", a short limited-access expressway connecting the Schuylkill Expressway and I-95 that would have required the demolition of many buildings on South Street and Bainbridge Street (an east-west street one block south of South Street). The newly cheap property attracted artists and counterculture-types. The proposed expressway was never built.
In the 1960s and 1970s, South Street was filled with clubs and bars that fostered a live local music community. It was not uncommon for South Philadelphians to "bar-hop" across the clubs, listening to live bands along the way. This community of fans helped attract recording contracts for many artists, including Kenn Kweder, the "bard of South Street"; George Thorogood; and Robert Hazard.
In the 1980s, South Street became one of Philly's tourist attractions. Tourists flocked to the nightlife that South Street had accumulated over the years, and the "neighborhood" community aspect was stripped from it. Many of the South Street clubs closed, replaced by chain stores and shops to cater to tourists.[citation needed]
Today, the name "South Street" is popularly attached to an eight-block stretch (and a few adjacent streets) which remains a popular hangout and commercial area for teens, college students, and young adults with its assortment of bars, take out eateries, sex shops, small music clubs/venues, and retailers catering to Hipster-culture, hip hop fashion, punk fashion, and/or urban culture.
[edit] South Street in popular culture
The Orlons, a music group from Philadelphia, released a 1963 song based on (and entitled) South Street, which includes the line "where do all the hippies meet?"
Philadelphia band Need New Body has a song called "So St RX" which is about South Street.
Fear's 1982 song "I Don't Care About You", which name-checks the neighborhoods associated with the punk movement in the United States in the early 1980s, begins with the line, "I'm from South Street Philadelphia".
The Dead Milkmen's 1988 song "Punk Rock Girl" makes references to Zipperhead (a punk rock/alternative clothing and accessories store) and The Philly Pizza Company, both of which were located on South Street before going out of business. Portions of the video for this song were filmed on South Street. Zipperhead has since relocated to South 4th St. and renamed to Crash Bang Boom, after Zipperhead founder and building landlord Rick Millan helped the store to move locations and rename itself.
Boyz II Men's debut song and video "Motownphilly" was filmed on South Street.
The HBO comedy special The Diceman Cometh, starring comedian Andrew Dice Clay, was recorded at South Street's Theater of the Living Arts (and was mentioned in the special by Clay).
South Street is shown in the opening credits of the FX Network show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia".
During Mardi Gras in 2001, celebrations at South Street restaurant-bar Fat Tuesday got out of hand. Drunken partiers spilled out onto the street and began looting Tower Records and other stores and businesses before Philadelphia police quelled the ruckus. The incident made Philadelphia the subject of ridicule on many late-night TV talk shows.[citation needed] Subsequent years have seen more police and fewer partiers on South Street on Mardi Gras.[citation needed]
[edit] References
http://www.edbacon.org/news/wp051006.htm
[edit] External links
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Coordinates: 39°56′30″N 75°09′02″W / 39.941758°N 75.15069°W
