'The Little Street of Clubs,' as the historic Midtown Village thoroughfare is known, had been paved over with asphalt in 2015. Soon, the quirky wood will return.
"The Little Street of Clubs," as the historic Midtown Village thoroughfare is known, had been paved over with asphalt in 2015. Soon, the quirky wood will return.For the better part of a century, the allure of tiny Camac Street — or at least the two-block stretch of it in Center City — was its curious paving, or lack thereof.
The effort is being cheered by preservation advocates, historians, and residents, who have long pined for Camac’s removed wood. For them, the splintered pavers were more than just an eye-catching curiosity, but a window into the story of the city.“It’s always been a little haven,” said Bob Skiba, a tour guide and curator of the archive at the William Way LGBT Community Center, who has long been drawn to Camac’s distinct character.
In 1902, the Sketch Club, now the oldest private artist’s club in the country, opened its doors on Camac. It was followed by the Franklin Inn Club, a still-thriving meeting spot for writers, and the Plastic Club, Philly’s oldest women’s arts organization. Bohemians, artists, and outcasts packed Camac’s cafés, speakeasies and street fairs. Gay bars and businesses flourished, tucked away on Camac.
While tiny Camac reveled in its reinvention, the growing city beyond it yearned to become something else: quieter. The city officials thought wood streets were the answer.
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