Welcome to Graduate Hospital
What's It Like and Why Live Here?
This neighborhood, formally named Southwest Center City (SWCC), but also affectionally referred to as G-Ho, SoSo, and South of South has most often been called Graduate Hospital since the 1980s, after the now-closed medical facility on the North of its border.
The neighborhood consists primarily of the nineteenth and twentieth-century rowhomes interspersed with corner stores, 22 churches, and a few larger architectural landmarks. On the eastern half of the neighborhood is the Scottish Rite affordable housing complex, which consists of two multi-story apartment buildings that cater mostly to elderly and low-income individuals. The former buildings of Graduate Hospital lie on South Street, the northern border of the neighborhood. Along Grays Ferry Avenue is the former Naval Home, designed in 1826 by William Strickland. This National Historic Landmark was first constructed in 1833, closed in 1976, and has since been developed into condos.
In recent years the area has experienced growth and gentrification. Hundreds of single-family homes and condominium units have been built or refurbished. As a result of the neighborhood's proximity to Center City and increasing desirability, a variety of new businesses catering to the increasingly gentrified population have opened. Despite the improvements, the neighborhood still contains some abandoned and dilapidated housing, especially towards the south.
Things We Love
- Honey's Sit-N-Eat
- Marian Anderson Recreation Center
- Annual Odunde festival
Where Is It?
The neighborhood is bordered by South Street on the north, by Washington Avenue on the south, by the Schuylkill River on the west, and by Broad Street on the east.
