Roosevelt Boulevard was constructed in the early part of the 20th century and originally ran a relatively short distance, from Broad Street to Torresdale. Over the years, the road has expanded several times, and today it runs eastward all the way to Bucks county. To the west, the City constructed the Roosevelt Extension in the late 1950s into the early 1960s, to connect the Boulevard with the then newly completed I-76.

The Roosevelt Extension was built as a mostly elevated road, running through Nicetown, among other neighborhoods. The new road resulted in the demolition of hundreds of homes, leading to the displacement of residents and physically dividing the community that remained. In addition, the impact of the completed road on light and air in the neighborhood is certainly part of the story of disinvestment in this area over the last 75 years. Now, decades later, a new park has been proposed for land in Nicetown under and close to a section of the raised portion of the Boulevard which could help in stitching the neighborhood together.

This project has evolved a bit in the decade since the Nicetown CDC began working on a conceptual version of this park at the intersection of Germantown Avenue and the Boulevard. In the latest iteration, the west side of the park will include a heavy focus on athletic facilities, including a running track, four basketball courts, a futsal court, a pair of pickleball courts, and even some space for bocce. The smaller east side of the park across Germantown Avenue will include a large multi-purpose arena, as well a skate park. Hopefully the Nicetown CDC will work with the City to keep the gathering space well scheduled with events and programming.

The designs from SALT Design Studio show that the new park will not only include colorful sports infrastructure, but new landscaping and a good number of new trees. The relatively low height of the bridge above means there are some limitations on how open and welcoming that semi-covered land can feel, especially as the sun goes down in the evening, but the lighting designs indicate that the park should remain well lit, which should go a long way to helping residents feel safe here.

The team recently requested conceptual approval from the Art Commission for this $9.3M project. The project has tentatively secured funding from the Reconnecting Communities Program, but this program was established under the previous presidential administration and it’s potentially at-risk under the current administration. With the possibility that federal support could evaporate, it’s important for the park to get started as quickly as possible.

A new park would undeniably be an upgrade for this pocket of Nicetown, but there’s only so much a few basketball courts can do to reconnect the blocks along Germantown Avenue as long as the huge Roosevelt Boulevard bridge remains. And the Roosevelt Extension isn’t getting demoed or “Big Digged” anytime soon, so this is likely the best that anyone can hope for, given the circumstances. But after decades of limited public investment, the neighborhood deserves these improvements and we hope that the approvals come through quickly, allowing construction to move forward soon.