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Reading Viaduct

Bridges in PhiladelphiaCallowhill, PhiladelphiaElevated parksLandmarks in PhiladelphiaLinear parks
Railroad bridges in PennsylvaniaReading Company linesReading Railroad bridgesUrban public parksViaducts in the United States
The Rail Park
The Rail Park

The Reading Viaduct, also called The Rail Park, is a disused elevated rail line in the Callowhill district of Philadelphia that has been partly transformed into a rail trail. In 2010, the Center City District and a new community organization, Friends of the Rail Park, began to evaluate options to convert the abandoned viaduct into an elevated park.On October 31, 2016, construction began on the plan's Phase 1, which added a boardwalk, benches, landscaping, and swings along a quarter-mile (400-meter) section of the viaduct from Broad Street to Callowhill Street; it also reinforced the existing 13th street bridge. The Phase 1 section opened to the public on June 14, 2018.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Reading Viaduct (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Reading Viaduct
North 13th Street, Philadelphia Center City

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Wikipedia: Reading ViaductContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 39.96 ° E -75.159 °
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Address

North 13th Street 413
19123 Philadelphia, Center City
Pennsylvania, United States
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Phone number
Park America, Inc.

call+12158298200

The Rail Park
The Rail Park
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Callowhill, Philadelphia
Callowhill, Philadelphia

Callowhill is one of the unofficial names for a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, located roughly in the vicinity of Callowhill Street, between Vine Street, Spring Garden Street, Broad Street, and 8th Street. The name "Callowhill" was coined by the Callowhill Neighborhood Association, a community organization in the area; although this name often appears on online maps, the City of Philadelphia does not have an official name for this area. Callowhill is named for Callowhill Street, which was named after Hannah Callowhill Penn, William Penn's second wife. Callowhill was formerly home to large-scale manufacturing and other industries, of which an architectural history has been left in the form of grand old abandoned factories. During the 1970s and 1980s, the population of Callowhill plummeted, and although numbers are rising, it is a fairly unpopulated section of the city compared to surrounding neighborhoods. Recently developers have started to employ adaptive reuse projects, converting them into loft style housing; so much so that many have termed the neighborhood "The Loft District". In 2010 the Callowhill Industrial Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places.Callowhill is physically cut off from its neighbor to the south, Chinatown, by the Vine Street Expressway. This has largely prevented Chinese businesses from spreading north, although some industrial and storage uses by the Chinese community have been placed in Callowhill. Vine Street is also blamed for the abrupt drop in pedestrian life above Chinatown, and the struggle faced by efforts to redevelop this section of the city that lies between Center City and North Philadelphia. The former Reading Railroad train trestle, the Reading Viaduct, is a defining feature of the Callowhill neighborhood. Neighborhood groups have proposed that the abandoned structure be maintained as a public park. The Reading Viaduct park plan gained momentum in 2009 when Philadelphia's Center City District (CCD), and its influential president Paul Levy, became enamored of the idea and ultimately became a partner to help manage the project. CCD announced on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 that the first phase of the quarter-mile-long, elevated park would open in spring 2018. The actual grand opening of The Rail park was held on June 14, 2018, attracting a large crowd.Philadelphia Traffic Court is in Callowhill, at Spring Garden Street and North 8th Street.

Career and Academic Development Institute

The Career and Academic Development Institute (CADI), opened its doors on September 7, 2004, and is an accelerated alternative high school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school was developed as a cooperative effort between OIC of America, a non-profit organization, designated to serve the community with the mantra of "Helping people help themselves", (founded by the late Rev. Leon Sullivan) and the School District of Philadelphia. The school provides transitional services both academic and developmental to a myriad of students of diverse backgrounds, with many being from low income and underserved communities. CADI services students ages 17–21, who have been absent from traditional high school for at least six months. The Career and Academic Development Institute's curriculum is parallel with the Philadelphia school district's high school standards of learning. CADI was uniquely designed to assist students by providing several different program options that may fit students scheduling needs, which include year-round sessions during the day. Students also earn credits through computer assisted instruction when appropriate although the program is mostly a live instruction model. Along with Program Director C. Benjamin Lattimore and Principal Dana Rapoport, the Career and Academic Development Institute has a dynamic team of instructors, case managers, development specialists, and administrative support staff. Eligibility Requirements: Individual must be between the ages of 16 and 21 and either (a) enrolled in a Philadelphia School District school, but has failed to earn a significant number of credits towards graduation (b) has previously dropped out of school; or (c) who is returning from an adjudicated court placement.