The 1900s

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Answering a service calling

The Southwark Club, 101 Ellsworth St., known today as the Southwark House, continues a tradition of service and advocacy.

Initially opening as a club with programs and activities that specifically catered to women and mothers in 1900, Southwark, as time progressed, needed to meet greater needs.

“There were changes in the community, and in the nation, that the house wanted to serve,” Francis Carey, executive director of United Communities of Southeast Philadelphia, Southwark’s umbrella foundation, said.

After merging with other settlement houses, the Pennport headquarters developed a mission of improving the community and the skills its neighbors needed to be a part of the greater community.

“It became an anchor in the community for incoming African-Americans, Jewish and Italian immigrants, post World War II vets,” Carey said.

Today, the space houses after-school programs, as well as family and immigrant services.

-Samantha Byles

Old World flavor

Staff Photo by Greg Bezanis

Family and flavor trump all at Ralph’s Italian Restaurant, a renowned Italian Market eatery.

Ralph’s Italian Restaurant, 760 S. Ninth St., has much to boast about apart from being a cherished South Philly establishment.

Started in 1900, it is the oldest restaurant in the country owned by its original family, and is the second oldest Italian restaurant in America. Francesco and Catherine DiSpigno, who emigrated from Naples in 1893, founded Ralph’s in the Italian Market after relocating to Philadelphia from New York. The restaurant moved to its current spot in 1915, but prides itself on still being located in its original Bella Vista neighborhood.

Known for its veal dishes, Ralph’s cooks original recipes handed down from the founders.

“The third, fourth, and fifth generations of the same family still provide quality service and food at Ralph’s,” owner and manager Ryan Robino, a fifth-generation proprietor, said.

-Katie Armstrong

Mission accomplished

Originally known as St. Martha’s House, the Houston Community Center, 2029 S. Eighth St., started as a missionary house in 1900.

A deaconess-in-charge ran Houston, which had strong ties to the Episcopal church and was committed to parish and service work. However, growing tensions between diverse ethnic groups drove the center to change its focus to find solutions to the area’s disputes. A neighborhood advisory committee formed and became a growing voice for tolerance and advocacy.

“Houston wanted to make sure that the programs out of it were beneficial to the community,” Francis Carey, United Communities of Southeast Philadelphia executive director, said. “Community members had a stake in the community and what was going on.”

In ’69, the center merged with a settlement house group to become United Communities of Southeast Philadelphia, and today, houses various organizations that advocate for and support local immigrants.

-Samantha Byles

Costumed crusaders

Any outfit will do for those poised to pound their feet along Broad Street as Mummers. Novelty continues to mark the proceedings, as current performers strive to craft memorable routines.

New Year’s Day simply would not be the same without thousands of strutters donned in ornate costumes performing up Broad Street for the Mummers Parade, but it wasn’t always that way.

The Swedes started its earliest version in 1640, Palma Lucas, executive director of the Mummers Museum, 1100 S. Second St., said.

“It was a two-week-long festival in the neighborhoods,” she said. “It continued growing until the mid-1800s when they became organized into Mummer clubs.”

It wasn’t until 1901, upon a City Council request, that the New Year’s Day highlight officially began.

Since then, the parade has evolved to include five divisions, including the wench brigades whose costumes date back to Colonial days when a working-class female was called a wench.

“All mummers are out there to put a smile on your face and make your day better by having a good time,” Jerry La Rosa, New Years Shooters and Mummers Association vice president, said.

-Alexis Abate

Suit seniority

For those looking to suit up, Goldstein’s Boys’ and Men’s Wear, 807 S. Sixth St., has provided customers with the finest threads since 1902.

“We have loyal customers come back,” owner Vinny Talotta Jr. said. “People who bought suits in the ’40s have brought their kids and grandkids back in for theirs.”

Talotta inherited the business from his father, Vincent, who began working for the store’s original owner, Julius Goldstein, in ’36, took over ownership with his brother Pasquale in ’50 and continued working until the day he passed away last month. 

Throughout its history, Goldstein’s has prided itself on its full setup of tailoring equipment, which allows for the most precise alterations to be made right in the store. That attention to detail is what has helped the store develop its loyal following and kept it in business for more than a century.

“We’re a Philadelphia tradition,” Talotta said.

-Bobby Kittredge

Staff Photo (bottom) by Greg Bezanis

Isgro Pastries have been holiday helpers for more than a century, offering a variety of goods to mark celebrations.

Holy cannoli

A friend to sweet teeth since 1904, Isgro Pastries , 1009 Christian St., favors fervor over frills. A Bella Vista mainstay, the four-generation family facility Mario Isgro founded relies on a commitment to quality to fill stomachs and win hearts.

“I love to cook,” head baker and owner Gus Isgro said.

The third-generation product began his sojourn as a boy, placing cherries on cookies, and now oversees at least 500 recipes. He has welcomed novelty but will never alter the formula for his award-winning cannoli, his site’s chief seller. The shelled treat teams with numerous delights to affirm his brood’s passion for freshness and fondness.

“This is what I do,” Isgro said of his culinary amore, which his 97-year-old mother Mary has helped to intensify. “Patrons trust me to craft top products, and I cherish each occasion to reward them.”

-Joseph Myers

Reigning supreme

The Queen Memorial Branch, 1201 S. 23rd St., has served Grays Ferry and Point Breeze since its founding in 1907. Named in honor of Philly optician, microscope maker and philanthropist James W. Queen, the library was first housed in Hope Presbyterian Church, 33rd and Wharton streets. Its name became its current title in December ’12, and relocated in ’45 to a rented building at 1313-15 Point Breeze Ave., before landing in its current home at the Landreth Apartments in ’95.

“Queen Memorial Branch absolutely has a very strong children’s program,” Sandy Horrocks, the Free Library of Philadelphia’s vice president of external affairs, said. “The library is also in a safe location in the community, and is a wonderful resource for families.”

-Katie Armstrong

Bananas about business

M. Levin & Co. employees have been peddling ripened products since 1906.

How old is M. Levin & Co.? When Michael Levin began selling bananas in 1906, he used a horse-drawn wagon to move his product along Society Hill’s cobblestone streets. The mode of transportation might be ancient history, but the produce business that he founded remains intact with the third and fourth generations now running operations.

The company, which settled into its current home at 326 Pattison Ave. during the mid-’50s, is still recognized as one of the largest jobbers/wholesalers of bananas in North America.

Mark Levin is one of several family members excited about having the fourth generation, including daughter Tracie Levin, around to keep the operations intact.

“It gives me a sense of pride that the family wants to continue this business,” Mark said. “Nobody forced them to do it.”

-Bill Gelman

Go South, young people

South Philadelphia High School has a veritable list of alumni and the potential to mold many more generations of leaders and pioneers.

South Philadelphia High School, 2101 S. Broad St., has graduated about 40,000 students since opening in 1907 as the Southern Manual Training High School for Boys. The Lower Moyamensing location welcomed an adjoining girls’ site in ’16, and integrated genders in ’55. It has gone from educating working-class Italian and Jewish immigrants to becoming a mini League of Nations.

“Our school has produced cultural and athletic leaders second to none,” ’58 graduate Sam Chatis said of the institution that counts Marian Anderson and Mario Lanza as products.

Marc Adelman, a ’57 degree clutcher and the alumni association’s archive chairperson, described Principal Otis Hackney as a remarkable educator.

“He is changing the poor public perception that’s been highlighted by the media, which flies in the face of 100 years of excellent education offered to South Philly students and children of immigrants aspiring to fulfill their hopes and dreams,” he said.

-Joseph Myers

Art for everyone’s sake

Settlement Music School has given many youngsters chances to flash their feet and fingers to create art.

Counting Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winners and Pulitzer Prize honorees among its more than 300,000 products, Settlement Music School, 416 Queen St., has never shied away from being a pioneer.

The Queen Village institution opened in 1908 as an offshoot of the College Settlement House, formerly 425-35 Christian St., and assists children and adults with dance, music and visual arts instruction. Rapid community growth and demand prompted the ’17 building of the Mary Louise Curtis Branch, where one can often find Executive Director Helen Eaton.

“I grew up hearing about Settlement and wanted to add to its legacy of artistic expression,” she said.

Annually allotting more than $2 million in financial aid, the six-branch Settlement family calls upon more than 300 faculty and staff to strengthen the creative universe.

“Our faculty is the heart and soul of our institution,” Eaton said. “Their commitment is why I feel the Curtis Branch is the place to be.”

Joseph Myers

Fish-ful thinking

Staff Photo (bottom) by Greg Bezanis

Anastasi Seafood never wants anyone looking for a slippery treat to slip by its entrance.

Anastasi Seafood, 1101 S. Ninth St., has had numerous locations since its 1908 inception but only one goal — peddling delicious aquatic goods. The Bella Vista hawker has relied on the expertise of five generations to reel in consumers without roping in their wallets.

“It’s always been in my blood to take care of my customers, get the nicest product and sell it at a fair price,” Salvatore Anastasi, who has run the store since ’85, said.

The fourth-generation product, who enlists sister Janet as co-owner, began aiding his kin 45 years ago, tending to eels and clams. He now focuses on crabs, his site’s top draw, which North Carolina’s Outer Banks provide. International lands also help Anastasi, who foresees his establishment offering more prepared items.

“We’ve come a long way since my great-grandfather [Thomas Anastasio] began with a horse and carriage,” he said, “and we’re proud to continue to serve the community.”

-Joseph Myers

Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.

South Philly Milestones
The Pre-1900s
The 1910s
The 1920s
The 1930s
The 1940s
The 1950s and ’60s

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