Named after the Italian city where Virgil lived in ancient times, Mantua in West Philadelphia, was place where homes of considerable size were constructed in the 19th century. Trolley lines were extended into West Philly in 1858—and afterwards Mantua grew rapidly while West Philadelphia developed into a streetcar suburb. Mantua was even, at one point, the first stop on the Main Line.
Today, Mantua is is a changing neighborhood. While some blocks have been well maintained over the years, other have fallen into blight and vacancy. But the neighborhood's proximity to Penn and especially Drexel has resulted in revived interest from developers, with new student housing dotting many Mantua blocks. But there's still plenty of vacancy, particularly in the northern parts of the neighborhood.
Map of Mantua
At 37th & Brown, improvement has appeared at one vacant lot, where sits an urban garden with 50 raised beds- one of five PHS Green Resource Centers. Basically this garden, the Mantua Urban Peace Garden, is a place for neighbors and other urban farmers to grow fresh produce while adding to the neighborhood's physical beauty. Leased on 2.5 acres of land from the Philadelphia Housing Authority, the formerly vacant lot now grows a spread of greens—kale, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, herbs and more.
