The Town of Francisville
Long before Philadelphia was chartered, the Native American trail that is now Ridge Avenue was used by the Lenape Indians to travel to the Delaware River.

In the early 1800’s, the small town we know today as Francisville was home to a vineyard belonging to William Penn; hence it’s name at the time “Vineyard”.

In the early 1900’s, Francisville and the Ridge Avenue corridor were bustling with busy markets, businesses and promenades. Philadelphia Architect John Torrey Windrim was commissioned by Bell Telephone Company to design the Telephone Exchange building at the northeast corner of 17th & Poplar Streets just off of the Ridge Avenue corridor.

Crowded sidewalks during Christmas became a thing of the past in the mid—twentieth century, with residents and businesses migrating to the suburbs.

Today, Francisville is the link between Philadelphia’s hottest neighborhoods. Located just minutes from Center city, between the Art Museum area and the North Broad Street corridor, Francisville by no stretch of the imagination is Philadelphia’s newest secret.