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FOLLOw uS On Vol. 67 NO. 26 n JuNe 26, 2014
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Immigration station’s nature
n Use this section as your reference for how to find local doctors and medical services. See page 21.
nO ReSeRvaTiOnS
n Queen Village residents Michele DiPierto and Irene Landy share ownership of the 55-seat Meritage where the grilled Bavette Steak is a top choice. See page 36.
SPORTS
Pier 53 used to be a huge immigration station that has now gone “back to nature.” Photo Provided
by
The Delaware River Waterfront Corp. is slowly creating a wetland space along Columbus Boulevard. n By Bill Chenevert
T
R e v i e w S ta f f W r i t e r
here’s a lot happening on the long and oft-neglected Delaware River waterfront. This weekend, with the help of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp. (DRWC), the Washington Avenue Green and its close cousin Pier 53 received a “Sneak Peak.” Almost 100 people came to see what ecologists, landscape architects, artists and history buffs had n A Pennsport been working on since 2010. playground hosted Susan McAninley, a resident of the 100 block of
a pop-up event for a fitness-infused children’s initiative. See page 46.
SuSan Mcaninley
Morris Street, has been active with a small group of folks excited about the prospect of a new park space at Washington Avenue and Columbus Boulevard, who have organized into the loose and casual Friends of Washington Avenue Green. McAninley, however, took an additional interest in the rich history of the pier that sits adjacent to the Green, which housed one of the most vibrant immigration stations on the east coast during America’s immigration boom at the turn of the 20th century. “I heard that a lot of South Philly and a lot of people in Pennsport have relatives that came in on that pier,” McAninley said.
Suspected rapist detained
She started recording neighbors’ accounts of their ancestors’ arrivals and made up T-shirts that she used as incentive. “I didn’t know what the end result would be, but I just kept doing it for a year,” she said. McAninley made biographies and passenger tags to hand out on Saturday, not unlike many powerful history museums that create moving experiences for visitors with anecdotal historic perspectives. At the time of the “Sneak Peak,” by all accounts the Friends and the DRWC had hoped that Pier 53 See PIER 53 page 10 >>
6
Authorities busted an East Passyunk Crossing man for allegedly raping a Center City resident.