Elfreths Alley Essay

The Evolution of a National Historic Landmark: Elfreths Alley in Philadelphia

This arts study will define the importance of Elfreths Alley as one of Philadelphia’s oldest urban areas and the evolution of preserving the site as a National Historic Landmark. In the early 1700s, Elfreths Alley was a subdivision project that sought to house various members of shipping community near the docking areas of Philadelphia. Throughout the 19th century, Elfreths Alley became a center for industrialization that housed many differing immigrant communities, and especially, the Irish. The housing structure of Elfreths Alley are primarily that of a Georgina colonial style, which were preserved over the centuries until the formation of the Eflreth Alley Association

in 1934 to reclaim that area as a National Historic Landmark. In essence, these aspects of the Elfreths Alley define the historical, architectural, and local activism to preserve the area in its original colonial state in the 21st century
Elfreths Alley is an important part of the earliest known architectural structure of Philadelphia, which is still, preserved as a part of the historical seaport area. Structurally, the street and its building have remained historically accurate in the 21st century, which reflect the Georgian style of colonial homes meant to house ship captains, sailors, and other seafaring members of the community back in the 18th century. These housing units were designed to provide lodgings within the city as part of the cultural tradition of colonial architecture of this early part of American history: “The tiny row homes on Elfreth’s Alley are excellent examples of Philadelphia’s colonial, Georgian and Federal housing of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries” (Kyriakodis, 2011, pp. 58-59). This observational evaluation of Elfreth’s Alley defines the colonial feeling and architectural design that marks the setting of the area as a historical place within the city. The colonial architecture of Elfreth’s Alley is one of the major appeals of analyzing the objective importance of this area as a historical landmark in the city. Certainly, historical accuracy of these buildings is also combined with certain homes being open to visitors, which reveals the historical details of furniture, interior designing, and other motifs that maintain the accuracy of the homes. This is why Elfreth’s Alley provides a highly representative historical area in which historical re-enactors, shopkeepers, and various homes are utilized to represent what life may have been like in the 18th century.
Historically, John Gilbert and Arthur Wells designed Elfreths Alley in 1702, which were then rented out by blacksmith Jeremiah Elfreth to local members of the shipping community.

The premise of Elfreths Alley as a National Historic Landmark defines the community-based initiative to form the Elfreths Alley Association in 1934, which set the foundation for the historical designation of this area in 1960: “One of the earliest National Historic Landmarks—designated in 1960—the site is marketed today by the EAA as “our nation’s oldest residential street” (Harris, 2007, p.182). The purpose of Elfreth's Alley was primarily to house members of shipping community in the 18th century, but the influx of Irish immigrants in the 19th century made this area of the city a housing center for industrial workers. In some cases, the Irish immigrants would work at factories that were placed right alongside Elfreth's Alley during this historical period. This historical perspective f\defines the many differing levels of class orientation that defines the many differing people that had lived in these housing units over the centuries. These historical facets of Elfreth’s Alley are important features of why the city eventually made this area into a National Historic Landmark as one of the oldest examples of housing units that still survive after nearly 300

years.
Finally, the development of Elfreth’s Alley as an historical landmark defines one of the critical and cultural aspects of preserving colonial history in Philadelphia as a epicenter of the American Revolution and the birth of a nation.

More so, the current status of these historical homes are primarily residential in the 21st century, which defines the relative importance of a historical housing that still exists in the city. Much like the real estate ambitions of Gilbert and Wells in 1702, it is still apparent that the Elfreths Alley Association provides a context in which these homes can be preserved as a National Historic Landmark for modern residents that currently own these homes: “[These owners] did own houses and invested their profits by purchasing or erecting houses to be rented by younger or less prosperous craftsmen and shopkeepers” (Moss & Crane, 1998, 28). In the 20th and 21st centuries, the evolution of this style of home purchasing was developed by the Elfreths Alley Association, which then allowed certain homes to be sold to qualified individuals that were willing to preserve the colonial and historical aspects of the area. These are important aspects of real estate dimension of home ownership in Elfreth's Alley, which makes it one of the more exclusive neighborhoods in a historic district of the city. Although some of the homes are privately owned, the city provides a great deal of financial and economic support to preserve this area for tourism on the dock

area. Currently, Elfreth’s Alley has evolved into a historically preserved community, which allows the colonial legacy of American life be seen in its original state. These are important aspects of the critical and cultural importance of Elfreth's Alley as a vital part of the housing of early colonials, and the continual maintenance and preservation of this national historic Landmark in the 21st century.