Signs, Space, and Change in Northern Liberties

The most striking thing about the field exercises in Northern Liberties was experiencing the extreme linear separation between places. At first this difference seems somewhat intuitive – Girard, for example, appears to be a clear transitional zone. North of Girard invokes a different feeling from south of Girard. I always knew that these “neighborhoods” were different, but taking field notes opened my eyes to distinct details. On Second Street, referenced in the gentrification post, shops cater to a “hipster” class interested in vintage-modern wares, art for art’s sake, and vegetarian food. Girard, however, hosts McDonalds, the Poison Apple Tattoo shop, Oz’s ”gentleman’s” club, and Goodwill.

The current commercial strips reveal nuances about what classes inhabit the neighborhood because the goods and services offered are very different. I wondered “How are neighborhood lines drawn?” “Who draws them?” “Is it government zoning? Real estate? Residents? Or a combination?” This is a map of all the areas that I covered in field exercises. Orange represents the entire area of study, green is healthscapes, yellow is gentrification, and blue is commercial and industrial.
The streets of Second and Front provide a model of delineation. These two streets run parallel to one another and are only one block apart. As stated in the urban industrial post, Front Street is hindered by its location under the el and freeway. It is littered and abandoned. Second Street stands in lavish contrast. Only one block away, it is bustling with new residential and commercial development, newly paved roads and sidewalks, shops, restaurants, taprooms, fitness centers, and the like. Although an industrial legacy is apparent, most of the industrial buildings that still stand are morphing into new uses, either commercial or residential. New mixed-use development and old rehabilitated buildings mingle together along this street that caters to the class interested in art, antiques, flower shops, vintage furniture, vegetarian and gourmet food, boxing classes, coffee shops, and microbrews.

Something else that popped out at me were the signs and how I interpreted signs. Many signs allowed me to figure out what was inside the building or what was formerly inside the building. Studio B declared what class offerings it had, and Henry F. Ortleib’s Brewhouse was etched into a stone placard on the building. Many signs on Girard were bilingually written. I haven’t been inside many of the buildings, so, I don’t really know what these signs portray. The field exercises are a good way to familiarize yourself with an area, but further research is necessary to really understand a place and the historical events that led up to the current status of place.

The final thing that stood out was how quickly things changed. Our class worked on the field exercises from January to May, and so much changed during that short time period. The blog can be a powerful tool to disseminate recorded history in a new way.

All aerial maps courtesy of Google Earth. All photos and illustrations by Bri Crowley unless otherwise credited. Copyright Gabrielle Crowley 2006.