Curbed Cup 1st round: (7) Brewerytown vs. (10) Olde Richmond

The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the neighborhood of the year, is kicking off with 16 neighborhoods vying for the prestigious (fake) trophy. Let the eliminations commence!

Brewerytown

Big changes continue to brew in Brewerytown, the neighborhood with Fairmount Park in its backyard. For one, the neighborhood’s historical reputation of being the No. 1 place for breweries has been revived, with smaller spots like Rybrew and Crime and Punishment along Girard Avenue living in tandem with the massive Flying Fish Crafthouse a short walk away. As one resident will tell you, though, the most common sight you’ll see here is active new construction, as the neighborhood grapples with gentrification.

Though this residential neighborhood doesn’t draw in massive townhouse developments or high-rises, its older homes are getting rehabbed left and right, and buildings that were once beacons of blight like the Pyramid building have found new life, too.

Olde Richmond

Situated right between Fishtown and Port Richmond, Olde Richmond residents have this to say about their small pocket of Kensington: “The change in this neighborhood over the last several years, has, simply put, been remarkable.” The changes—cleaner streets, improved playgrounds and recreation centers—may not sound like much, but to residents they are significant, and a lot in part due to the active civic association’s recent efforts to improve living in this River Wards neighborhood. And while it’s a mostly residential neighborhood, locals takes great pride in its pubs and restaurants like Memphis Tap Room and Stocks Bakery.

But as one longtime resident put it, Olde Richmond may be built out, but it’s not finished growing yet. “The biggest plus for Olde Richmond is all the potential. There are bigger plans in the works, such as bringing more public space to the neighborhood, from turning the old Lehigh Viaduct into a rail park.

So what neighborhood will it be: Brewerytown to the west or Olde Richmond to the east? Polls are open for 24 hours!