Philadelphia Restores Street to Historic Wood-Block Pavement

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Philly Wood
Courtesy of Steve Albert

A block of Philadelphia’s Camac Street has returned to its roots and been restored to its original 1800s wood-block pavement. In the early 20th century, about 20 miles of Philadelphia was paved with wooden blocks, providing a quieter alternative to cobblestone streets, which made a lot of noise as horses trotted through the streets. Modern-day Deputy Commissioner of Transportation Richard Montanez says the wooden blocks weren’t a totally popular solution, though: “In the old days with horses, the wood would absorb the urine and odors,” Montanez says. With the advent of automobiles, the wooden blocks couldn’t hold the weight, so most Philadelphian streets were repaved with asphalt by the 1920s. Camac Street remained wooden to preserve the city’s past until it was torn up in 2015. By then, the blocks had begun to rot and the street was replaced with asphalt, as the city was sprucing up its downtown to prepare for the arrival of Pope Francis. But in 2019, Philadelphia received a $1.2 million state grant to restore some of its historic streets, including the block of Camac Street, with original materials. Today, Camac Street is not a throughway and is little more than an alley; therefore, the street doesn’t need to sustain heavy traffic. But city developers still needed to create a modern wood-block street that wouldn’t rot or break apart. The city landed on black locust sourced from Lancaster, Pa.-based End Grain Design and Reclaimed Lumber. The black locust was chosen for its strength and resistance to rot. “It’s a fairly robust hardwood that we’re hoping will stand the test of time,” Montanez says. Now back to its historic material, Camac Street’s wooden blocks celebrate Philadelphia’s history, preserving the street’s character for future generations.

Fm25 Woodworks Philadelphia3Courtesy of Steve Albert

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