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The Croydon: The Field’s Backdrop

Since the late 1920s, the “E”-shaped Croydon, an eight-story apartment building with two four-story north and south wings, has formed a backdrop for the athletic field at 48th and Spruce streets. Facing S. 49th Street between Spruce and Locust, the Croydon has a checkered past. By the turn of the Millennium, the once-thriving 127-unit edifice stood shuttered, crumbling, and in tax arrears. Known in counter-cultural circles as “Paradise City,” the abandoned building attracted hobo-like squatters, some brandishing guard dogs, from around the country. In recent years, Orens Brothers Real Estate, Inc., a Center City firm, has renovated the once-decaying complex and offers upgraded 1- and 2-bedroom rental units. 

Neighborhoods
Cedar Park
Decades
1920s
Ca.
late 1920s
Street Address
S. 49th between Spruce and Locust
Attribution/Credit

Ethan Wallace, “Goodbye, Paradise City, Hidden City Philadelphia,” 7 December 2012, https://hiddencityphila.org/2012/12/goodbye-paradise-city/. Wallace’s article provided information for this caption.