According to historical maps, much of what is
South Philadelphia, including Point Breeze, was still not yet developed and integrated into the rectilinear grid system by 1843 or later. "Point Breeze" was a point on the western side of the Schuylkill River, approximately where the Passyunk Avenue bridge is today. In the 1860s it and the area across on the eastern side of the river were developed as an area for oil refinery by the
Atlantic Petroleum Company, later the
Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO). Oil that had been extracted in Western Pennsylvania could be processed here and then shipped down the Schuylkill, to the Delaware and out to sea. The Avenue that connected the city proper to the east side of the river at Point Breeze was known in 1808 as "Long Lane." The area was first settled by working-class
European Jewish immigrants, followed by
Italian and
Irish immigrants. In 1930s numerous
African Americans settled here, some of whom had come North in
the Great Migration, escaping
Jim Crow in the South and looking for work in industrial cities. At this time the African-American center of Philadelphia was shifting from near Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church at 6th and Lombard, to west of Broad. Through the 1960s Point Breeze was reported to be a safe, clean, relatively integrated, and self-sufficient neighborhood, with a thriving business district along Point Breeze Avenue. Residents called it "The Breeze." Rising racial tensions, fear of race riots and
white flight in the 1960s and 1970s resulted in many businesses moving away, and the neighborhood becoming majority African American. Also at this time, people who could afford it often moved to newer suburban housing, aided by greater ease in commuting by public transit and highways. The
heroin epidemic of the 1970s, and
crack epidemic of the '90s and related crime adversely affected Point Breeze. Between 1988 and 1990 the Philadelphia Police department conducted raids in Point Breeze to shut down the Carr family drug ring; it reportedly had been selling $1.3 million per year in crack,
cocaine and prescription drugs. The Point Breeze Performing Arts Center opened in 1984 on Point Breeze Avenue. From 1990 through 2000 Point Breeze lost approximately 10% of its population. Despite this, since the 1990s some revitalization efforts have taken place; such organizations as South Philadelphia H.O.M.E.S. and Universal Companies, owned by
Kenny Gamble, have helped build low-income housing and schools in the area. Immigrants from Southeast Asia have moved into Point Breeze in the 1990s and 2000s. For example, in the 2000 census Point Breeze contained the highest concentration of Vietnamese in the city; the more than 900 Vietnamese people comprised nearly 12% of the population of Point Breeze. In the 2000s and beyond, Point Breeze has had some revitalization through
gentrification. Real estate investors such as John Longacre and Ori Feibush have begun developing property here, especially along the Broad Street and Washington Avenue corridors. While many residents resent the changing neighborhoods and feel displaced in areas they once called home, others believe such change signals a booming resurgence in the area, which has both trendy bars and lower crime. In 2016 the YouTube channel "New Neighbors" interviewed longtime Point Breeze residents about the gentrification efforts. One man said existing residents were harassed by increased police scrutiny; a woman said that her brother was killed here long ago. She noted the lack of shopping for regular goods. She said, "We have everything in Point Breeze that's no good for any human consumption, it [Point Breeze] does not nurture any entrepreneur spirit or anything else - other than people that are foreigners, that come in and get money to open up businesses in the community. Who do not necessarily give back when you ask...but I think it's a great thing in terms of the changes in the community, I welcome it with open arms." In July 2019 the
Philadelphia Inquirer published an
op-ed titled "Gentrification displaced my family from Point Breeze", written by Angelita Ellison, Philadelphia City Clerk. She described the hardship of being displaced from her neighborhood of 16 years, and after leaving, seeing the renovation of a long unused and unfunded neighborhood tennis court. As a response to recent gentrification in the area, a
community land trust sponsored by the Women's Community Revitalization Project was created to cover at least five homes in the area with 99-year transferable leases. Overall public reaction to gentrification remains mixed. While some residents are not bothered and outreach organizations are helping those in need, some residents have vandalized new properties, spraying anarchy symbols and other messages such as "(expletive) the rich. A number of historic buildings in the area, including the
George W. Childs School,
David Landreth School,
Marine Corps Supply Activity,
Delaplaine McDaniel School,
Jeremiah Nichols School,
Walter George Smith School, and the former
Francis M. Drexel School are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. ==Name origin==