Washington Square West (or Wash West) is a neighborhood in downtown, or Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The neighborhood roughly corresponds to the area between 6th and 10th Streets and between Walnut and South Streets, bordering on the Independence Mall tourist area directly northeast, Market East to the northwest, Old City and Society Hill to the East, Bella Vista directly south, Hawthorne to the southwest, and mid-town Philadelphia and Rittenhouse Square to the west. Many realtors and civic groups, in an attempt to hype up the area as a desirable trendy neighborhood designate the western border of the neighborhood as Broad Street, 4 blocks from the more accurate boundary of 10th Street. The area take its name from Washington Square, a historic urban park in the northeastern corner of the neighborhood.
A section of Philadelphia's Antique Row lies in the area as does
the nation's oldest hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital.
Educational and medical facilities associated with, Thomas Jefferson
University, a leading regional medical university and health
care center, are located at the western edge of the
neighborhood.
Washington Square West's real estate is characterized by three to four story townhomes interspersed with mid-rize apartments and offices with ground-floor retail. The neighborhood follows William Penn's original grid layout for the city, with many one-lane and pedestrian side streets added later as the population became more dense. In addition to the block sized Washington Square Park to the East, the neighborhood contains the smaller Kahn Park, named after the Philadelphia Architect Louis Kahn.
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The name 'Washington Square West' came into official use in the late 1950s and early 1960s as part of Edmund Bacon's comprehensive plan for Center City.[1] In this plan, the south-east quadrant of center city was split into Washington Square East (more commonly known as Society Hill) and Washington Square West. Both neighborhoods were scheduled for urban renewal by Philadelphia's City Planning Commission and Redevelopment Authority. After a period of decline in the early 20th century, city officials hoped that redevelopment would clean up the neighborhood and clear blighted areas.
After large scale renewal of Washington Square East/Society Hill in the early 60s, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority turned to Washington Square West. In the late 1960s, the Redevelopment Authority bought and demolished buildings and, by the mid 1970s, owned one fifth of the neighborhood [2]. By this time, however, federal money available for urban renewal had declined and the city was no longer able to fund the renewal of Washington Square West. Buildings razed by the city in the 1960s and 1970s were left as empty lots and the neighborhood was left in a state of decline.
Through the late 1970s and 1980 began a slow recovery without the aid of the large scale redevelopment that had occurred in Society Hill. The 1990s saw a shift in the neighborhood as Mayor Ed Rendell encouraged investment in Center City and gentrification began to take hold. By the end of the 1990s and early 2000s, the neighborhood had transformed into an economically vital community.
Washington Square West, on its western side, is nearly adjacent to the area bounded by Walnut, Pine, Broad, and 12th streets known as The Gayborhood by locals. It is so-named because of its large concentration of gay and lesbian oriented bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants, clubs and gay bars. It was also the center of Philadelphia's gay bathhouse culture in the 1970s and early 1980s. The area is the location for Philadelphia's annual OutFest: National Coming Out Day celebration. On 18 April 2007, the city of Philadelphia officially recognized the area by adding 36 gay pride rainbow flag symbols to street signs bordering the Gayborhood area.
Its success as a city neighborhood has led to several attempts at large scale private development in the Gayborhood in the 2000s. In 2002, developer Tony Goldman attempted to change 13th street and its surroundings into the "Blocks Below Broad" or "B3", with the launch of several new retail establishments. The attempt failed, but was repeated in 2006 by a merchants association organized by James McManaman. The organization has attempted to re-brand the neighborhood as "Midtown Village". The association has been successful in launching several new retail establishments along 13th streets, but the name "Midtown Village" has been met with ambivalence by locals.[3]
The Free Library of Philadelphia operates the Independence Branch at 18 South 7th Street.[4]
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Coordinates: 39°56′44″N 75°09′15″W / 39.94549°N 75.15429°W
   | Washington Square West Civic Association - Philadelphia Neighborhood: Washington Square West Civic Association |
| | The Philadelphia Sketch Club homepage - PSC - The Philadelphia Sketch Club Home Page |
| | Philly Pride, a gay pride organization based in the Gayborhood - Philly Pride Presents - LGBTQ Pride Events in Philadelphia |
| | A Tale of Two 'Hoods - A Tale of Two 'Hoods :: Naked City :: Philadelphia City Paper :: Philadelphia Arts, Restaurants, Music, Movies, Jobs, Classifieds, Blogs |
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