Curbed Cup Elite 8: (7) Brewerytown vs. (15) Tacony

The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the neighborhood of the year, has entered the second round of the Elite 8! Eight Philly neighborhoods are still in the running to be crowned the Best Neighborhood of the Year. 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.

Photo by Mural Arts for Tacony Lab

Tacony

You won’t find major mixed-use developments and big-name retailers in Tacony. Here’s what you will discover: A thriving retail corridor with local businesses setting up shop. A beautiful historic library made for the 21st century. A riverfront packed with potential, including a new charter school.

The long-time residential neighborhood has seen small, but significant changes thanks to efforts by the Tacony Development Community Corporation, which has played a role in attracting new businesses, artists, and more to its streets. It may be described as one of those “middle neighborhoods” that’s somewhere between success and distress, but Tacony is arguably on the up and up.

Which neighborhood should advance: Booming Brewerytown or thriving Tacony? Polls are open for 24 hours!