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1960s

    Woodland Avenue and Creating Penn’s Pedestrian Campus

    In the 1950s, the City facilitated Penn’s plans to create its modern pedestrian campus by putting the Penn trolleys underground and deeding the footprint of Woodland Avenue to the University. 

    Exterior of the Arena shortly before its auction in 1977
    The Final Years of the Arena

    White outmigration, owner turnover, and construction of the Spectrum brought the Arena to its final years of operation.

    Excited spectators pack the stands of the Arena at a 1966 76ers and Celtics game.
    The Peak Years of the Arena

    The Arena reached its peak in the post-war years with the emergence of professional basketball.

    Opening of the University Science Center

    The University City Science Center was the nucleus of the West Philadelphia Corporation's University City branding initiative. Gaylord P. Harnwell, president of the University of Pennsylvania (1953-1970), appears at the far left.

    The West Philadelphia Community Free School

    The West Philadelphia Community Free School—an experimental school annex created to alleviate overcrowding at West Philadelphia High School—was ultimately undone by conflicting visions for how it would function.

    Excited spectators pack the stands of the Arena at a 1966 76ers and Celtics game.
    Glory Days of the Old Arena

    Excited spectators pack the stands of the Arena at a 1966 76ers and Celtics game.

    The Arena as Viewed from the Market Street Elevated in 1968

    The Arena's marquee was highly visible to Market Elevated passengers traveling to or from the city.

    Fans Theater advertises two second-run westerns, Gun Glory (1957) and The Sheepman (1958). Diary of a Madman, staring Vincent Price, first ran in theaters in 1963.
    Fans Theater

    Fans Theater advertises two second-run westerns, Gun Glory (1957) and The Sheepman (1958). Diary of a Madman, staring Vincent Price, first ran in theaters in 1963.

    Fans Theater advertises two second-run westerns, Gun Glory (1957) and The Sheepman (1958). Diary of a Madman, staring Vincent Price, first ran in theaters in 1963.
    A Local Theater for Second-Run Movies

    Fan’s, the last incarnation of Fay’s Theatre, served as a second-run movie theater and occasional beacon for community outreach until 1964.

    Fay's Theater Sign
    Fay’s Theatre: Community Change and Community Space

    Fay’s Theatre, a small West Philadelphia entertainment venue, reflected the creation and transformation of community spaces during the Great Migration.

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