During one of my recent trips to the hospital I was intrigued by the image of a building across the way from the 30th Street train station- Schuylkill Yards.
This building is a key component of the re-gentrification of West Philadelphia and is no doubt an exciting feature to an otherwise utilitarian panorama.
However, there may be more to this story than meets the eye.
As hip as the name Schuylkill Yards sounds the true meaning of the name is somewhat less socially palatable.
The Dutch word Schuylkill, for the river that flows nearby, is hardly threatening and the the word Yards conjures up mental images of brightly colored railroad boxcars swaying side to side as they slowly make their way to their next destination.
But.
Schuylkill Yards was actually the Schuylkill Stock Yards where cattle, hogs and other assorted beasts were herded and stored until time for disassembly and stacking inside those brightly colored railroad boxcars swaying side to side as they slowly make their way to their next destination.
