Art Museum Area / Fairmount

Art Museum Area 

The Art Museum Area (AKA Fairmount) is a nice quaint section that has become reborn over the years with new comers to Philadelphia moving to this section and the restaurant scene getting more popular.

Fairmount is derived from the noticeable hill that the Philadelphia Museum of Art now sits on and where William Penn once intended to build his house. “Art Museum Area,” took it's name due its proximity to and association with the Philadelphia Art Museum.

The Art Museum Area once consisted of Irish and German immigrants, while Polish and Ukrainian immigrants moved into the neighborhood in the early 20th century, having a significant presence in its northernmost sections of the neighborhood. More recently over the years, younger professional families, graduate students and more diverse cultures and familial makeups began to move into the neighborhood. This was because of its location adjacent to Center City, the Art Museum, and Fairmount Park.

The neighborhood’s Fairmount Avenue contains many diverse restaurants, bars and shops along the street, which seems to be the heart of The Art Museum Area. There are many other restaurants and bars a few streets from Fairmount Avenue, so don’t lose sight of this.

Even though the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Boat House Row, the historic Fairmount Water Works, Bartram’s Garden, and much more are part of Fairmount Park, all of these places are a stones throw from the Fairmount section of Philadelphia or the Art Museum Area. Kelly Drive parallels the river and winds through scenic Fairmount Park. All of which attract new residents or those looking for a good restaurant or bar, to the Fairmount section of Philadelphia, becoming one of Philadelphia’s most desirable neighborhoods.