I have a wine fridge.  I really do.  It’s a tiny little thing that only holds about 12 bottles that my wife and I picked up from Best Buy a while ago.  Eventually we made the heart renching decision to unplug it because it became our mission to fill it up.  Filling it up was fun, the emptying it out was even more fun and began interfering with our running.  We’ve also gone to a few classes at the Wine School of Philadelphia, which is such a cool experience, I’d recommend it for anyone.  We’re wine novices, but you know, we aspire….

So it is with more than passing curiosity that I’ve noted “a family owned company specializing in custom wine cellar consultation, design and craftsmanship”, Modern Cellar, has taken up residence in The Globe Dye Works complex.  Check out their press page for an extensive and impressive list of media where their wares have been showcased.  I don’t know to what extent their presence is, whether they’re manufacturing or distributing, or just run offices there, but I’m definitely curious.  If Frankford is playing any part in wine culture, I must have an item, it’s a shame I probably can’t afford a custom cellar.  I can, however, already envision where their INSTA wine rack will go in my kitchen.  Aside from their complete custom work. their prefab stuff is being sold by local shops Matthew Izzo in Old City, and Hipster Home in Phoenixville, and of course are available online.  Very cool.

[link] http://www.moderncellar.com/

Does it matter if Frankford is in Northeast Philly?  If I had my way, Frankford would always be in the same conversation as Kensington, our neighbor to along the El.  I always have the same line that I use when talking about Frankford’s future.  “I don’t mind Frankford being compared to Kensington, ’cause there’s hope in Kensington”.  Kensington’s a dirty word in Northeast Philly but elsewhere I would say most people consider it to be gentrifying.  The rest of the Northeast, however, seems to be scared that they’re in a long, slow decline.  What I don’t like to see is when Frankford gets thrown into the abyss of “North Philly”.  That’s not awesome at all.

So I asked Jack McCarthy, former famed archivist for the Historical Society of Frankford, and winner of Northeast Philly Quizzo over at the Grey Lodge many months ago.  This was his response:

I would say that there is more or less consensus that the southern boundary of NE Phila is the Frankford Creek/Tacony Creek. (Coming out of Cheltenham it’s Tacony Creek, and becomes Frankford Creek at the point where Wingohocking Creek, which is no longer there, emptied into it.) This was the southern border of the old Oxford Township in Philadelphia County before the 1854 City/County Consolidation.

The Phila City Planning Commission calls the area between Frankford/Tacony Creek and Pennypack Creek the “Near Northeast” and the area between Pennypack and Poquessing Creeks the “Far Northeast.” See the following:

http://www.philaplanning.org/data/boundaries.pdf

The borders of Frankford are a different matter. Frankford was a borough from 1800 to 1854; it had its own government and specific boundaries, with Frankford Creek being its southern boundary. The boundaries were actually changed a couple of times in the early 1800s and then the borough was abolished in the 1854 consolidation. Frankford then became w
hat it is now – just a neighborhood of Philadelphia.

More clues to bolster our case:

• The Center for Northeast History has been run out of the Historical Society of Frankford’s building
• I heard that the venerable historian and former Lincoln High principal Harry Silcox put Frankford in the first chapter of one of his books(someone fact check this for me)
• Wikipedia puts Frankford in Northeast Philly

I would go so far as to say that the consensus is the southern border of Northeast Philadelphia is the Frankford Creek.  And that puts Frankford in Northeast Philly.

Many apologies to Jack McCarthy for just totally taking a nap on this post.  I emailed him for his opinion back in April and am just getting around to this post.

I want to start a discussion of Frankford’s borders and geography, and also about Frankford’s place in Philadelphia.  I think there are a lot of opportunities to discuss Frankford’s identity that way.  There’s a lot of interesting questions floating out there.  Is Frankford in the Northeast or North Philly?  It’s probably got more in common with Kensington than it does with the rest of the Northeast.  I don’t think most people would dispute that.  And what are the implications of that?

There’s also history to consider.  A look at Frankford’s borders are a look at it’s identity.  Where did Frankford Valley come from?  I think in the next few years there will be some interesting developments to the south, near where they built the Lowes and such.  Will the developments on the fringes of Frankford be attributed to Frankford or will they be taken away by Port Richmond or Juniata or Bridesburg.

Philadelphia Brownstoner reports that the owners of Shenanigan’s Saloon is opening up a second location under the El at Front and Cecil B Mooore.  It’s three and a half miles from Frankford but it still bolsters the case that businesses will open up under the El.  For too long, probably since I’ve been born, I’ve been hearing that having the El sit over Frankford’s main drag is a big reason for Frankford’s business issues.  Talk to me about the lack the crime.  Talk to me about the poverty, and talk to me about better parking in mini malls.

There’s already Kung Fu Necktie, the El Bar is a regular hipster hangout and now comes news of Shenanigan’s Too.  So let’s be real here and note that at least somewhere under the el, normal businesses can thrive.

photo credit: philly.brownstoner.com

I haven’t actually been able to catch up with Kyle Dunleavy but I knew he existed because the Carters and Jason Roberts have workshops next to him.  And I couldn’t post about him because I didn’t have a picture, and I never post without pictures.  So it was a nice find when I came across an article on Philly.com by Diane Mastrull talking about new uses for industrial sites and Kyle shows up in one of the photos.  So I’ve appropriated it.  The Carters said you could tell how close he was to finishing the drums because the noises that came from his shop would get more and more musical.  He makes steel drums!  That is so neat.  It’s a shame they run to three grand or I’d take them up.

[link] http://www.kdsteeldrums.com/