Philadelphia's BLUE STREETS!
ARTICLE: http://planphilly.com/articles/2008/09/02/3785
From a PSSS member: There's been a lot of attention given recently to wooden streets, but I'm curious if you've spent any time looking into another of Philadelphia's more unusual paving materials - the mysterious "blue glazed granite" or "blue glazed brick?" Perhaps the most popular story of their origin is that they were salvaged from the 1876 World's Fair, but it seems that virtually identically bricks are found in at least a few other cities (https://www.google.com/search?q=old+san+juan+iron+slag&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMIjZTAvITSyAIVRDg-Ch344AKh&biw=1440&bih=729).
LIST OF PHILLY'S BLUE STREETS - Source: http://www.phila.gov/historical/PDF/Historic%20Street%20Paving%20District%20Inventory.pdf
Alter Street, 100 block, Southwark (Queen Village)
Cross Streets: 2nd St. and Front St.
1999 Roadway Material(s): Blue glazed granite block
Other Features: n/a
Historic Paving Information: n/a
1999 Integrity: Moderate
2013 Primary Roadway Material: Blue glazed brick
Bodine Street, S. unit block, Old City
Cross Streets: Market St. & Elbow St.
1999 Roadway Material(s): Blue glazed granite block
Other Features: n/a
Historic Paving Information: n/a
1999 Integrity: High (north half); Moderate (south half)
2013 Primary Roadway Material: Blue glazed brick
Historic District (Local): Old City
Historic District (National): Old City
Bonsall Street, S. 100 block, Rittenhouse Fitler
Cross Streets: Dead End (Walnut St.) & Sansom St.
1999 Roadway Material(s): Blue glazed granite block with granite block and red brick
patches Other Features: n/a
Historic Paving Information: n/a
1999 Integrity: Moderate
2013 Primary Roadway Material: Blue glazed brick
Historic District (National): Ramcat/Schuylkill Historic District
Bread Street, N. 200 block, Old City
Cross Streets: Dead End & New St.
1999 Roadway Material(s): Blue glazed brick
Other Features: n/a
Historic Paving Information: n/a
1999 Integrity: Moderate
2013 Primary Roadway Material: Blue glazed brick with red and yellow patching
2013 Secondary Roadway Material: Asphalt patching
Historic District (Local): Old City
Historic District (National): Old City
Delancey Street, 1500 block, Rittenhouse Fitler
Cross Streets: 16th St. & Dead End
1999 Roadway Material(s): Blue glazed granite block
Other Features: Red brick and granite block patching
Historic Paving Information: n/a
1999 Integrity: Moderate
2013 Primary Roadway Material: Blue glazed brick
Historic District (Local): Rittenhouse-Fitler Residential
Historic District (National): Rittenhouse Historic District
Filbert Street, 200 block, Old City
Cross Streets: 3rd St. & 2nd St.
1999 Roadway Material(s): American St. to 2nd St. - lengthwise - half blue glazed granite
block, half granite block; American St. to 3rd St. - Blue glazed
granite block intermixed with red brick
Other Features: Adjacent buildings along 3rd St. (33 and 35 N. 3rd St.) create
overpass
Historic Paving Information: Repaved with granite block and blue glazed granite block, 1998
1999 Integrity: Moderate
2013 Primary Roadway Material: Granite block
2013 Secondary Roadway Material: Blue glazed brick
Historic District (Local): Old City
Historic District (National): Old City
Mascher Street, N. unit block, Old City
Cross Streets: Cuthbert St. & Arch St.
1999 Roadway Material(s): Blue glazed granite block
Other Features: n/a
Historic Paving Information: n/a
1999 Integrity: High
2013 Primary Roadway Material: Blue glazed brick
2013 Secondary Roadway Material: Granite block
Historic District (Local): Old City
Historic District (National): Old City Historic District
Myrtle Street, 400 block, Northern Liberties
Cross Streets: 5th St. & Lawrence St.
1999 Roadway Material(s): Blue glazed granite block
Other Features: n/a
Historic Paving Information: n/a
1999 Integrity: Low
2013 Primary Roadway Material: Blue glazed brick (5th St. & Orkney St.);
Granite block (Orkney St. & Lawrence St.)
Waverly Street, 1400 block, Rittenhouse Fitler
Cross Streets: 15th St. & Carlisle St.
1999 Roadway Material(s): Blue glazed granite block
Other Features: Red brick and granite block patching
Historic Paving Information: n/a
1999 Integrity: Moderate
2013 Primary Roadway Material: Blue glazed brick
Historic District (Local): Rittenhouse-Fitler Residential
Historic District (National): Rittenhouse Historic District
Corner of
S. Hancock and
Wharton: According to a local
resident, there are also blue blocks at the corner of
S. Hancock and
Wharton (see below).
She called them "blue Sesquicentennial Belgian block paving", but they got paved
over. 9/30/2015