MDMD(1): Questions/Notes

[Matthew P Wiener]

>> 5.13 `Second-Street'?

>I know someone mentioned Second Street in Philadelphia--but I get a
>definite feel here that the phrase "Second-Street Chippendale" is
>meant to imply inferior quality.  Was Philadelphia's Second Street
>known for furniture knock-offs?

I would assume that all colonial industry (for stuff that could also
be imported from England) were considered cheap knockoffs.

Regarding colonial Second Street, I have finally located a street map
of the colonial city.  (I was rather surprised at how difficult this
search was, and what I found so far is less informative than it ought
to be.)

The main east-west streets at the time of the revolution, listed from
north to south, were Vine, Sassafras* (or Race), Mulberry* (or Arch),
High* (or Market), Chestnut, Walnut, Spruce, Pine, South (or Cedar*).
The main north-south streets, were Water, Front, 2nd, out to 24th.
What would be "14th" is Broad.  (*=extremely obsolete)

Water Street is the street that a few years ago was named Delaware Ave
and is now named Christopher Columbus Blvd.  Water and Front are very
close to each other--a city block separates other adjacent north-south
streets.

Anyway, in colonial days, High Street from 2nd to 3rd (and later 4th)
was covered over, and market stalls were built into the street pavilion.
The neighborhood immediately north of this is known today as "Old City",
and is heavy with antique and artist stores.  The area to the south was
primarily residential and business, so I presume Old City was industrial,
including furniture manufacture, and in some sense, it hasn't changed.

A modern day replica of the High Street market exists near 2nd and South.
And somewhere in Boston, last time I visited.
--
-Matthew P Wiener (weemba at sagi.wistar.upenn.edu)    If Apple owned
 NBC, they would sue Nike for comedy-interface copyright violation.