THE SCHUYLKILL PARKWAY AND EMBANKMENT 
nPHE most important improvement ever 
proposed for Philadelphia, aside from 
the filtration of the water supply, and the one 
with most far-reaching consequences, both 
for the beautifying of the city and the increase 
of real estate valuations, is shown in the 
accompanying map. 
This is no less a project than the creation 
of a continuous parkway along both banks 
of the Schuylkill River from Fairmount 
Park to Bartram’s Garden, including boule¬ 
vard extensions in various directions to con¬ 
nect the new system of highways with the 
main arteries of traffic in the city, and the 
development of the immediate surroundings 
of the University of Pennsylvania. In such 
a scheme, the vast interests already estab¬ 
lished, commercial and other, have been care¬ 
fully safeguarded; especial attention having 
been paid to the requirements, both present 
and future, of the Pennsylvania Railroad on 
the west bank, the Baltimore & Ohio system 
on the east, and the extensions of the lines of 
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company 
on both sides of the river. 
In its general outline, the scheme is as 
follows: First, the development and beauti¬ 
fication of Schuylkill Avenue from the B. & 
O. Railroad bridge to Fairmount Park; 
second, the junction of Schuylkill Avenue in a 
circle below the reservoir with the proposed 
Parkway Boulevard from Fairmount Park 
to the City Hall; third, the development of 
Twenty-fourth Street from the new South 
Philadelphia to Focust Street; fourth, the 
construction of a bridge at Bartram’s Garden 
continuing the lines of Fifty-second and Fifty- 
third Streets on the west bank to Maiden Fane 
on the east; fifth, the widening of Maiden 
Lane and its continuation to Snyder Avenue; 
sixth, the opening of Cleveland Avenue from 
the embankment to the intersection of Snyder 
Avenue and Twenty-fourth Street; seventh, 
the continuation of Gray’s Ferry Road from 
Twenty-second and Lombard Streets to 
Rittenhouse Square; eighth, the reconstruc¬ 
tion of the South Street viaduct and bridge; 
ninth, the construction of the Vine Street 
bridge to connect with Powelton Avenue; 
and, tenth, the development of recreation 
parks on Gray’s Ferry Road. 
Between Race and Lombard Streets, 
Schuylkill Avenue will be run straight, form¬ 
ing an embankment directly overhanging 
the river, completely changing the whole 
river frontage and creating throughout its 
entire length a very desirable residence sec¬ 
tion directly connecting both Bartram’s Gar¬ 
den and Fairmount Park 
On the west bank considerations of differ¬ 
ences of grade, the space required for the 
proper management and development of the 
Pennsylvania Railroad’s business, and, 
thirdly, the relative narrowness of the river 
make a different development necessary. 
Here, a Parkway beginning at Fairmount 
Park will cross the lines of the Pennsylvania 
Railroad at Thirty-second Street, following 
in the main the line of Mantua Avenue, 
though slightly defective, in order to pass 
through a residence quarter. 1 he intersec¬ 
tion of this Parkway with Market Street is at 
the West Philadelphia Station, and the fact 
that Lancaster and Woodland Avenues 
branch off at this point, makes necessary the 
development of a large square for the facilita¬ 
tion of traffic. Continuing south, the Park¬ 
way follows what is to-day Thirty-second 
Street, being elevated about thirty feet above 
the west embankment of the Schuylkill, thus 
affording a splendid view of the city on the 
other bank. It then passes the grounds of 
the University, which, when opened up and 
developed as shown, will constitute one of 
the principal attractions of the city. 
Lack of space in our present issue precludes 
a detailed discussion of the more important 
elements of this splendid improvement, but 
the main ends sought are the redemption 
of the squalid and unsightly banks of the 
river and their conversion into a handsome 
residence section in a way not to interfere 
with the needs of the railways and the hasten¬ 
ing of the development of South Philadelphia. 
2 55 
