Cobbs Creek, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Cobbs Creek is a predominantly African American
neighborhood
located in the West Philadelphia
section of Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. Cobbs Creek is generally bound by Market Street to the north, Baltimore Ave. to the south, 52nd Street to the east, and Cobbs Creek
to the west. It is often locally referred to as "The Southside", in reference to its location to the south of Market Street and above the Baltimore Ave. border of Southwest Philadelphia, as well as a neighborhood distinction used by local street gangs in the area during the 1960s and 70s. The area, originally farmland owned by the Cobb family (early Quaker colonists), was also the location of the infamous 1985 bombing of the MOVE
compound by police, which resulted in a fire that consumed two city blocks.
In 1998, the Cobbs Creek Automobile Suburb Historic District was created, with Cobbs Creek Parkway, Spruce St, 62nd St, and Angora St its boundaries. The District protects 1049 buildings, with Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow/Craftsman architectural styles contained within the district.
Philadelphia architect William Alesker, whose latest project is a Trump Tower in Center City, and Evangelical minister Tony Campolo, one of Bill Clinton
's spiritual advisers, lived, respectively, in the 6200 blocks of Pine and Delancey Streets back in the 1940s and 1950s.
operates the Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Branch at 5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway at the intersection of 59th Street and Baltimore Avenue. The branch opened in 1925 and was renamed in 1990 after an area activist.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
neighborhood
Neighbourhood
A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...
located in the West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...
section of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Cobbs Creek is generally bound by Market Street to the north, Baltimore Ave. to the south, 52nd Street to the east, and Cobbs Creek
Cobbs Creek
Cobbs Creek is an tributary of Darby Creek in Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It forms an approximate border between Montgomery County and Delaware County. After Cobbs Creek passes underneath Township Line Road , it forms the border between Philadelphia County and Delaware County...
to the west. It is often locally referred to as "The Southside", in reference to its location to the south of Market Street and above the Baltimore Ave. border of Southwest Philadelphia, as well as a neighborhood distinction used by local street gangs in the area during the 1960s and 70s. The area, originally farmland owned by the Cobb family (early Quaker colonists), was also the location of the infamous 1985 bombing of the MOVE
MOVE
MOVE or the MOVE Organization is a Philadelphia-based black liberation group founded by John Africa. MOVE was described by CNN as "a loose-knit, mostly black group whose members all adopted the surname Africa, advocated a "back-to-nature" lifestyle and preached against technology." The group...
compound by police, which resulted in a fire that consumed two city blocks.
In 1998, the Cobbs Creek Automobile Suburb Historic District was created, with Cobbs Creek Parkway, Spruce St, 62nd St, and Angora St its boundaries. The District protects 1049 buildings, with Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, and Bungalow/Craftsman architectural styles contained within the district.
Philadelphia architect William Alesker, whose latest project is a Trump Tower in Center City, and Evangelical minister Tony Campolo, one of Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's spiritual advisers, lived, respectively, in the 6200 blocks of Pine and Delancey Streets back in the 1940s and 1950s.
Public libraries
Free Library of PhiladelphiaFree Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:History of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Initiated by the efforts of Dr...
operates the Blanche A. Nixon/Cobbs Creek Branch at 5800 Cobbs Creek Parkway at the intersection of 59th Street and Baltimore Avenue. The branch opened in 1925 and was renamed in 1990 after an area activist.