Strawberry Mansion, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Historic building on 1900 block of North 32nd Street, Strawberry Mansion

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Strawberry Mansion is a neighborhood in the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, located east of Fairmount Park in North Philadelphia. It has a large and predominantly African-American population. The neighborhood is bounded by 33rd Street in the west, 29th Street in the east, Lehigh Ave to the north, and Oxford Street in the South. As of the 2000 census, the neighborhood had a population of 22,562.

In 2005, the 19121 zip code, which contains Strawberry Mansion, had a median home sale price of $47,900. This was an 85% increase, the largest of any zip code in Philadelphia, from the 2004 median sale price.

[edit] History

Strawberry Mansion was home to a number of Philadelphia's wealthiest families in the 19th Century. Until the mid 1920's it was a fairly wealthy, predominately Jewish neighborhood. Since the middle of the 20th Century, the neighborhood has been struck by brutal economic decline and urban decay. Modern Strawberry Mansion has accrued a reputation as one of the most dangerous areas of Philadelphia. The neighborhood is quite large geographically and in population and has been difficult to police or maintain with historically inadequate city funding. However, as of 2005, the southern and western boundaries of Strawberry Mansion have shown signs of gentrification. Feeding off the mixed successes of its southern neighbor Brewerytown, artist lofts have been planned in derelict factories. Additionally, property values have risen dramatically on properties which abut Fairmount Park on the western boundary of Strawberry Mansion. Once one of the wealthiest areas in all of Philadelphia, there are a number of stately park-side homes in varying states of disrepair. Several structures have already been completely restored, in an area that was ignored for decades. Crime and frequent shootings continue to plague the area.

John Coltrane lived in a house on 33rd Street in Strawberry Mansion from 1952 to 1958, and later bought it for his mother. The house is currently owned by his cousin, and it is designated a National Historic Landmark.

Strawberry Mansion is home to a High school and a Junior High of the same name. These two schools share a building with a third school elementary school Leslie P. Hill. Many children attend elementary, junior, and high school without leaving the building.

NBA player Ronald "Flip" Murray attended Strawberry Mansion High from 1995 to his graduation in 1997.

Neighborhoods of the North Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania