Lawncrest, Philadelphia

Lawncrest is a neighborhood in the Near Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The name "Lawncrest" is an amalgram of Crescentville and Lawndale. Crescentville extends from Godfrey Avenue to Comly Avenue, where the Lawncrest Recreation Center is. Lawndale runs from about Levick Street to Tyson Avenue. Adjacent neighborhoods include Burholme to the north, Oxford Circle to the east, and Olney to the south and west. Lawncrest borders Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, to the west. Tookany Creek separates Lawncrest from Montgomery County.

Rising Sun Avenue is usually identified as the main artery through Lawncrest. This area along "the Avenue" is commonly know for its numerous pizza parlors, as well as its many Chinese takeout restaurants, bars, and taverns.

Lawncrest roughly covers the area of St. William's Parish, while Lawndale approximately covers the area of Presentation B.V.M. Parish. The ambiguity of the neighborhood name is one of its many charms.

In the heart of Lawncrest is the Recreation Center and fields. The recreation area includes fields to play sports and other activities. There are street hockey rinks, tennis courts, and basketball courts. Inside the Recreation Center there is a basketball court, gym, pool, and small banquet area. Aside from Lawncrest Recreation Center, Gibbons Police Athletic League (PAL) is located at the intersection of Longshore and Rising Sun Avenues. The gym is open during the day and is free for use. There is a field at Gibbons for baseball and two basketball courts. However, the Lawncrest Athletic Association has closed recently. The LCAA was a non-profit organization. They were a group of volunteers who conducted leagues for children aged 6 and up to play sports over the vast playing fields for a nominal fee. The LCAA offered baseball, softball, soccer, and, early in its history, football.

Most teens who live in Lawncrest attend either Cardinal Dougherty High School (Catholic-private) or Northeast High School, Samuel Fels High School (public). Those who do not usually attend many of the region's others private schools and public magnet schools. The neighborhood is especially known for its annual 4th of July celebration which includes a parade down Rising Sun Avenue, festivities at the Lawncrest Recreation Center all day, and fireworks at night.

The neighborhood's crime rate has increased since the early 1990s, White Flight became an outcome of Lawncrest, like most neighborhoods of the lower Northeast Philadelphia.

Residents and natives of note

• William Keane, Creator of "Family Circus" comic strip.