Ridge Avenue begins (or ends) around the intersection of 9th and Vine Sts., in the Loft District and a stone’s throw away from the Reading Viaduct. Our favorite route to Roxborough, it meanders in a northwestern direction, through Francisville, North Central, Strawberry Mansion, and East Falls, before continuing on for miles and miles outside of the city limits.
Once a vibrant commercial corridor, Ridge Avenue has come to resemble the deteriorated neighborhoods that surround it (we’re not talking about you, East Falls and Roxborough, so please relax). Even in Francisville, an area that’s certainly on the rise, vacant land and blighted buildings still rule the day on this stretch. In this area, change should come in the years to come. Further north and west, revitalization could be decades away, if it ever arrives at all.
While many of the remaining buildings are extremely blighted, business signs that remain from years past give us a window into what Ridge Ave. once was. Check it out.
As you can see, there’s plenty of history on Ridge Avenue. What will the future bring?