Yorktown Historic District
Why it's listed
Brick rowhouses built between 1959 and 1969 in lower North Philadelphia, immediately south of the Temple University campus, form the Yorktown Historic District. Its 624 two- and two-and-a-half-story houses are arranged in mirrored pairs and groups of four to eleven along curved and cul-de-sac streets set back behind curbed islands, a layout borrowed from suburban planning and new to the city's grid. Each house has a driveway and garage or yard, pent eaves, and louvered shutters in a simplified Colonial Revival style. The developer was Denny Development Corporation, and Hassinger & Schwam were the architects. Yorktown was the first city redevelopment project handed to a private for-profit developer, and its uniform suburban-style houses were marketed to middle-income buyers. African-American community leaders, notably Reverend William H. Gray Jr. of Bright Hope Baptist Church, had a large role in shaping the project. Two churches, Bright Hope Baptist and Mount Zion United Methodist, both dated 1964, are contributing buildings.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the district is significant in Community Planning because it introduced suburban-style cul-de-sac layouts into an urban redevelopment context and was the first redevelopment project placed in the hands of a private for-profit developer. It is also argued to be locally significant under Ethnic Heritage-Black for its association with African-American struggles for housing rights, with the Bright Hope Baptist congregation playing a leading role in shaping the project.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 12001046, listed December 12, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Cecil B. Moore Ave., N. 10th, W. Oxford, N. 11th, W. Stiles, W. Flora, & N. 13th St., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | December 12, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12001046 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1959-1969 |
| Architect / builder | Denny Development Corporation (Developer); Hassinger & Schwam (Architects) |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival / Moderne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 36 |
| Coordinates | 39.97658, -75.15603 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 12001046.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.