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A new green space in Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood offers an airy escape from the city’s sprawling concrete.
Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting officially unveiled the Commerce Connector, a revitalized $2.7 million strip connecting the Independence Visitor Center area to Carpenters’ Hall.
Bill Marrazzo, chairman of the Independence Historical Trust and WHYY CEO, said the once-underused passage is now part of the city’s living history.
“We do continue, as a trust, to invest in the places that connect each other, to one another and all of us to Philadelphia’s history,” he said. “So today, in our judgment, the Commerce Street Connector joins that marvelous robust legacy.”
Job Itzkowitz, executive director of the Old City District, described how they turned what was once a nuisance into a new asset.
“There were plumbing issues with old pipes and drains. There were cars parked illegally back here,” he said.
Itzkowitz said the renovation of the old alley has transformed the area around it.
“One thing that we’ve witnessed almost immediately upon the fences coming down is that people are using this space as it was intended,” he said.
