Join Hidden City Creative Director
Lee Tusman for a walking tour of the contested area between Vine and Spring Garden Streets and 10th and Broad Streets. The neighborhood is in flux and so is its name. Traditionally known as
Callowhill, people also call it
Chinatown North, the
Loft District and the
Eraserhood, in homage to filmmaker David Lynch.
Recalling living in the neighborhood during the late 1960s, Lynch said “the area had a great mood--factories, smoke, railroads, diners, the strangest characters, the darkest nights.” Even though several shuttered factories have been turned into lofts, the neighborhood retains some of the atmosphere that Lynch found so compelling.
We’ll visit a remnant of the railroads, the
Reading Viaduct, and talk with artist and long-time resident
Sarah McEneaney, who envisions turning it into an elevated “park in the sky.” The
Chinatown Community Development Corporation has opposed the plan, worrying that it will speed gentrification, and push out the small warehouses and fabricators that provide local employment for residents of Chinatown. We’ll visit one of these businesses, a sign-making shop, and talk with the owner.
We’ll also explore the art and design community that has blossomed in the area. We’ll visit the
Asian Arts Initiative and learn about the organization’s plans to turn a bleak alley into a thriving arts corridor, and stop by
Mio, a green design firm. We’ll also visit the
Vox Building, locus for much of the art making and exhibition in the area.