Haddington

Haddington is a classic West Phildelphia African American community: conservative and cohesive. It started as an enclave for some of Philadelphia’s most prosperous and politica and in some respects, remains so today. William Smith, a member of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, owned quite a bit of the land. The Haddington Title and Trust was a prominent financial institution at 60th and Market Street.

Crystal Bird Fauset called Haddington home living with her husband Dr. Arthur Fauset at 5403 Vine Street. She was the first African-American women elected as a member of the Pennsylvania State Legislature. After her election in 1938, she became a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s cabinet on the issues of Black people.

In 1988, Haddington was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places because of the architectural work of E. Allen Wilson commissioned by Smith. The architectural style is Colonial Revival and Classical Revival.

Recently, a shopping center has been added. This Vine Street location has become the departure point for group trips to Atlantic City and shopping strips to Lancaster County.

Prominent African American churches are located in the area including Mt. Carmel Baptist, Better Way Bible Church, and St. Matthews AME church. The area has been a power base for many up-and-coming politicians.

The West Philadelphia neighborhood of Haddington is one that has a higher number of older citizens than other parts of the city with many of them having grown up in the area. The area is predominantly African American citizens who are working class to low income.

Haddington’s houses are most two-story rowhomes that are owned by the people who inhabit them. Most are in fair condition though in some parts of the neighborhood there are signs of neglect in the buildings and the property that surrounds them.

The neighborhood is cheap to live in though there are few places for rent which makes it unappealing to younger individuals not to mention there isn’t much to do as far as entertainment. Haddington is close to public transportation, the Market-Frankford Line runs nearby as do several bus routes. A majority of the residents utilize that service to get to and from the neighborhood. So if you did move there you could always travel to other areas.

Overall, Haddington is your standard West Philadelphia neighborhood, it’s a just a little close to the suburbs and its home to a lot of elderly citizens which is not that attractive to the younger crowd but that might be for the best.

Haddington is a neighborhood located in West Philadelphia. It is situated between 52nd Street, 3rd Street, Chestnut Street and Girard Avenue. The neighborhood is predominantly made up of African American residents with a large proportion of elderly residents and a high home-ownership rate.
Haddington is made up of mostly row homes. At the intersection of Vine Street and 56th Street, newly constructed housing facilities have been built. The median house sale price is $97,000.
The neighborhood’s historic district is located along the 6000 blocks of Market, Ludlow and Chestnut Streets. The buildings found on this stretch feature beautiful colonial and classical revival architecture styles and were built between 1909 and 1915.
Haddington is one of the safer neighborhoods to live in Philadelphia. Thanks to the close-knit relationship shared by the area’s residents, everybody looks after everyone else. Haddington is also one of the prettiest sections of the city and features many unique buildings, shops and restaurants.
Public transportation makes it easy for residents to get around Haddington as well as to other parts of the city. It’s close proximity to Delaware County also gives Haddington a cozy, suburban feel with tree lined streets and numerous parks located in the neighborhood