The Boss of the City: The Stetson Legacy and Industrial North Philadelphia

07. 17. 2006

Lab exercise

Philadelphia: Past. Present and Future

Review and research the key terms listed in handout.

What is meant by palimpsest?

Why is a city like a palimpsest?

(ask Google, "what is a palimpsest?")

other sites of interest

Past

What was the industrial revolution?

  • Why / how did it happen?
  • What did the industrial revolution do to the structure and function of cities?

Present

North Philadelphia website

Future

Philadelphia Planning C0ommision website

Philadelphia's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI)

Field Exercise

The City as a Historical Artifact

In this exercise you will visit area of the former Stetson Hat factory site near 4th and Montgomery Ave. Based on the material presented in the lecture and the handouts, try to envision how the neighborhood was during the peak of the Stetson Era.

You will be presented with 4 types of documentation methods

  • historical map
  • aerial photograph
  • city planning map
  • field observations

(1) Look at both an aerial photograph of the area, and City Planning Map with parcel[1] information. The City Planning map gives parcel or property outlines, which may or may correspond to a building footprint[2]. What are the benefits and constraints of each of these two representations?

2) Using the two maps and aerial image, locate the site of the former Stetson Factory. Take a walk around the site and record a series of observations, and record both written descriptions in your notebook, as well as notes and sketches on the map handouts.

  • What structures still remain from the Stetson Factory?
  • On the block you are assigned, document which buildings remain from the historical map.
  • In your field notes, describe how the land use or building occupancy has changed

Classroom

Planning your neighborhood

a) Describe what community means to you.

b) What immediate improvements would you like to see in your neighborhood?

c) What types of services are lacking in your community?

(i.e.- stores, public agencies, community centers, libraries, parks, etc.)

d) Draw a plan or "Fantasy map" of your ideal neighborhood. Describe in your notebook how and why you made your decisions. Be prepared to present these ideas to your group.

[1]Parcel: A piece of land or property under one ownership.

[2]Footprint: The outside dimension or shape of a building drawn as an outline on a plan, describing the amount of space it occupies on the ground