INSIDE PHILLY // A Look At The Rich History Of 3rd Ward's Future Philadelphia Hood

Part of 3rd Ward's future Philly home (left building) in 1896.Next summer 3rd Ward will be celebrating the opening of our new location in the City of Brotherly Love. While our banner might be a novel sight on the streets of Philadelphia, machines, manufacturing, invention and innovation have long been a critical parts the city's 300+ year history. With our new Inside Philly series we'll be highlighting different aspects of the city's history and culture as we eagerly look forward to soon becoming part of it.

3rd Ward's Philadelphia location will set up shop in 27,000 square feet of space in two renovated warehouse buildings and a converted church in the city's Northern Liberties/Old Kensington neighborhood, was once dubbed the "Workshop of the World." 

Learn how it got that name after the jump.

The neighborhood earned that title in the nineteenth century, when it became as one of the city's main centers for industry and manufacturing. Early on in the century it was home to everything from wagon and machine works  to glass factories and potteries, but as time progressed  it emerged as a particularly important hub for the textile industry. Small companies often started by offering "outwork," with the owners providing the materials and workers producing goods in their own homes using hand looms. As these operations grew and the Industrial Revolution picked up steam, factories were established.

Carpet mills dominated Kensington's textile industry for most of the century, but other trades made their mark as well. There were numerous leather-working factories and tanneries in the area, and as the 1900s arrived, knit goods also occupied a significant percentage of local manufacturing, producing everything from socks, sweaters and scarves to World War II goods such as mosquito netting and tarpaulins.

The neighborhood's textile industry has declined since the mid-twentieth century, but recently it has seen a new influx of artisans and artists, with projects such as the Philadelphia Art Hotel, the Coral Street Arts House and the Frankford Avenue Arts Corridor. We're excited to become part of such a vibrant creative community.

For more on the history of industry in Philadelphia, head to workshopoftheworld.com. And check back soon for more installments of our Inside Philly series.

-- John Ruscher