The Allegheny West community of North Philadelphia, like some other areas of our city, is in the midst of redevelopment and positive change. That’s why Ron Hinton, President of the Allegheny West Foundation (AWF), deemed it critical to make sure Congressman Dwight Evans is up on the latest projects and potential new developments for this part of North Central Philadelphia.
The Allegheny West service area is bordered on one side by Lehigh Avenue, running from Broad and Lehigh down to 33rd and Lehigh. On the other side, AWF is bordered by Hunting Park Avenue from Broad Street down to 33rd and Hunting Park. Largely residents in the 19132 and 19140 zip codes are the people they serve.
The hurdle that leaders in the area continue to work to get over or get through dates back to the late 1960s and early 70s, when the civil rights movement was at its height. In particular, after the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the rioting, looting, and burning of businesses stripped our neighborhoods of their prior glory. A once thriving and prosperous community with factories such as the BUDD company on Hunting Park Avenue, Fretz, Gross and Company Factory at 21st Street and Sedgley Avenue, and the Steel Heddle building at 21st and W. Allegheny Avenue were targets of irate individuals so angered by the murder of Dr. King that they felt their only recourse at the time was to burn their community down.
It may be hard for some people to believe that the destruction that divested some of our neighborhoods back then, to date, has still never been rebuilt or fixed, or repaired. Over the last, 20 or so years redevelopment has been taking place. “Reimagining North Philadelphia” came about, and that process continues right now. When you start calling out names there are always going to be critical players who were not mentioned; but I’m going to step put on the limb and give some recognition and praise to the Beech Companies in North Philadelphia, not far from the AWF service area. The Beech Companies were founded by the late Floyd Alston and today is operated by Dr. Ken Scott, a Dr. Floyd mentee and longtime friend over many years.
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