When we mention Northern Liberties on this site, we're usually talking about the newest demolition, construction or adaptive reuse in the neighborhood. It's experienced so much gentrification over the last decade plus, but it has a distinguished history, unique from the rest of the city. "From World’s Workshop to Hipster Mecca and the People in Between" is the subject of a Northern Liberties history exhibit on display at the Philadelphia History Museum at 7th & Market through August 31st where you can learn all about it.
In the late 1800s the riverwards was home to the some of the worlds largest ship building companies. By the time the 1900s rolled along, a number of industrial sites popped up, and the neighborhood was fueled by a wave of immigrants desperate for work and their shot at the fabled American Dream.
Sponsored by the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association, and curated by local artist Jennifer Baker, the tale of immigrants, businesses along Marshall Street, and more is narrated through photographs that chronologically span more than 100 years of Northern Liberties history. Visitors to the exhibit can learn about the story of Liberty Lands, the neighborhood park built by volunteers on the site of the Burks Brothers Tannery. One can also espy artifacts like tools made by blacksmith Leonard Fector, who owned a shop at American & Bodine Streets in the early 1900s.
The history of the NLNA itself is another element visitors to the exhibit can learn about. The past few years, the NLNA has received more zoning proposals than ever during its history, since the group was founded in 1978.
So while Northern Liberties used to be an area that contributed to Philly's reputation as one of the industrial centers of the world, it has become one of the most redeveloped and changing areas in the city. But as it was a place for families to live a hundred years ago, so it remains today.