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Residences

University Redevelopment Area Unit 3 came to represent the divide between university and community after residents were displaced as part of the creation of the University City Science Center.

Following World War II, urban renewal provided the resources for city officials and developers to create dramatic changes to the physical and social landscape of West Philadelphia.

Vue32, a 16-story mixed-use apartment tower, stands on a high ridge on the eastern boundary of Drexel University’s campus, overlooking the Amtrak – SEPTA railyards and affording dramatic views of Center City. 

A mosaic displaying a bulldozer approaching a row of houses filled with African American residents.

The University of Pennsylvania’s role in the creation of the University City Science Center in RDA Unit 3, a working-poor, majority-African American neighborhood known locally as the “Black Bottom,” severely damaged its community relations for decades to come.

A postcard advertising rowhouses for sale in 1914, just two years before Philadelphia experienced a severe housing crisis.

A postcard advertising rowhouses for sale in 1914, just two years before Philadelphia experienced a severe housing crisis.