Julian Abele Park [aka - Montrose Street Park] Groundbreaking - 7/12 - PhillyBlog

BroadAndMarket · #1 (**permalink**) 06-27-2008, 10:13 AM

What: Julian Abele Park Groundbreaking Celebration
When: Saturday, July 12, 2008 - 12:00 to 2:00 pm
Where: Julian Abele Park - 22nd & Carpenter Streets

Local Favorite Divan Turkish kitchen has generously provided a wonderful assortment of tasty foods for us to enjoy. Park volunteers will be on hand.

##### Special Note: If interested in volunteering or becoming a Friend of Julian Abele Park, please feel free to PM me for additional information. Committees currently are being formed and are in need of volunteers. #####

Lolly · #2 (**permalink**) 06-29-2008, 10:52 PM

FYI: The latest meeting minutes + the following flyer for this upcoming event have just been uploaded to http://www.montrosepark.org/.

(DETAIL FROM ABOVE)

Dolemite · #3 (**permalink**) 06-30-2008, 09:49 AM

Wow the park looks amazing! I had no idea it was so big

Coco · #4 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 10:12 AM

I was very excited to learn that members of the Julian Abele family have shown interest in the ground breaking ceremony on July 12th. I believe one of his sons may make an effort to attend? Julian Abele and his family lived in the 1500 Block of Christian Street and he and his legacy are part of our neighborhood's history, African-American history and American history. For those of you who want to know more about who Julian Abele was and his many superb architectural contributions to Philadelphia, New York, Duke University, etc. etc., go to this link:
http://biography.jrank.org/pages/289...n-Francis.html

Lolly · #5 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 11:30 AM

Yes, that's right, Coco.

One of the park volunteers received this email (apparently totally out of the blue) last night...

Quote:

Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 8:48 PM
Subject: Julian Abele Park

While visiting my daughter in San Jose, CA I found an article in Google Images about the subject park. I was naturally anxious to learn more since Julian Abele was my father and I was raised at 1515 Christian St. I'm E-mailing you since I found your name in the article and would appreciate any information you could provide or the location of another source. I will be in California for another week.

Thanks in advance, Julian F. Abele (Jr.)

So a reply was sent with an invitation to the Groundbreaking Celebration next Saturday.

I have no idea where Mr. Abele's son now resides, but hopefully he will be able to make it.

PS Mr. Abele Jr. would appear to be about 80 years old now, according to this very interesting excerpt, forwarded to me by a neighbor from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...gy/shadow.html.

Quote:

Not much is known about Abele’s social life in the early years of his career. When his sister Elizabeth separated from her husband around 1906, he took her in, along with her three children, and raised them as his own. By the time he reached his 40s, the children were largely grown. Through his friend and fellow architect Orpheus “Razzle” Fisher (who later married the famed African-American contralto Marian Anderson), Abele met Marguerite Bulle, a recent arrival from Paris who was white and a protégée of Nadia Boulanger, the noted French musician and conductor. Abele, who spoke fluent French, soon arranged to take piano lessons from Marguerite, nearly 20 years his junior. No doubt Abele’s tenroom, two-bath home on Christian Street made a good impression. Located in a neighborhood of black professionals, the three-story town house boasted tasteful antiques, two Jean Honoré Fragonard paintings, a Baldwin grand piano, a sofa covered with needlepoint Abele had done himself, and several black servants. The night before the couple married in 1925, Horace Trumbauer gave them each a $1,000 bill as a wedding gift.

The Abeles had three children. The oldest, Julian F. Abele Jr., was baptized at the cathedral at Reims on an overseas trip in 1929. Marguerite Marie, known in the family as Pacquette (Little Flower), died at the age of 5 of complications from measles, and Nadia, the youngest, took her name from her mother’s mentor.

Across-cultural, interracial union would likely have been difficult for any couple, but the Abeles also had personality differences. Marguerite enjoyed card parties, movies and bingo, while Abele liked nothing better than to retreat to his third-floor den after work to read and listen to opera and “Amos ‘n’ Andy” on the radio. What finally broke the Abeles apart, however, was a messy affair. While working as an accompanist at a Philadelphia radio station, Marguerite met a young baritone named Jozep Kowalewski, who soon became a regular at the Christian Street house under the pretense of taking music lessons. By all accounts, the two fell hopelessly in love.

When Marguerite asked Abele for a divorce in 1933, he refused. She told Abele she was “dead” to him as a wife and moved into a separate bedroom. In 1936, after learning she was pregnant by Kowalewski, Marguerite grew desperate. Her solution was to wed Kowalewski in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in October 1936. Perhaps she reasoned that her “marriage” to Kowalewski (a fellow Catholic) would be sanctified by the church, if not by the state. Amonth later, she finally left Abele, who insisted on keeping the children. Jozep and Marguerite’s first child, Jeanne, was born in January 1937. (They eventually had two more children.) From then on, Abele had contact with his wife only at family functions, although he did allow Julian Jr. and Nadia to visit her.

At home, wearing a coat and tie, Abele continued to preside over formal Sunday dinners. In summer, he set up his children and a nanny in a rented cottage in the segregated beach community of Wildwood, New Jersey, arriving by train every Friday night and returning on Sunday evening. Even in hot weather, the debonair Abele could be seen striding the boardwalk in a suit and straw hat.

dr_gingivitis · #6 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 12:14 PM

That's a fascinating story, and it all took place right across the street from me.

It's a shame that 1515 Christian was gutted by fire this winter. I don't think it was a shadow of the impressive house described in the article, but the facade is still intact, and has a plaque that bares his name.

Renovations are actually slated to start on 1515 in the next few weeks, I'd hate for Mr. Abele Jr. to see it in its current state.

lee · #7 (**permalink**) 07-01-2008, 01:07 PM

Great story, Lolly, in the Smithsonian Mag. According to the story, his son would be 81 this year and, as of 2005, lived in Florida. He is a retired architectural engineer.

Lolly · #8 (**permalink**) 07-02-2008, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dr_gingivitis

Renovations are actually slated to start on 1515 in the next few weeks, I'd hate for Mr. Abele Jr. to see it in its current state.

Looks like you get your wish. Here's the latest email from Mr. Abele...

Quote:

From: "Julian Abele"
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 12:00 AM
Subject: Julian Abele Park

Thanks for the speedy reply to my E-mail. I don't get home till the night of July 10 so a trip to the groundbreaking would be difficult. I would appreciate any info on that or future activities. I would definitely consider attending any opening ceremonies.
Very truly, Julian F. Abele (Jr.)

Oh well, guess he doesn't live locally anymore after all (I suppose, as lee said, he probably still resides in Florida). But hopefully, now that the community is in touch with him, there will be another park-related event we can let him know about far enough in advance so he can plan to be here.

Lolly · #9 (**permalink**) 07-11-2008, 06:20 PM

Something fun to do after your block clean-up...
http://www.montrosepark.org/

ETA: I understand there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony later this year to which Mr. Abele Jr. will be invited as a special guest of honor.

lbphilly · #10 (**permalink**) 08-24-2008, 05:02 PM

Update: I biked down Carpenter Street on my way home from the PathMark this afternoon, and I see that they've planted trees! It seems a little early for fall planting, and some of them look a mite shocky, but they have TreeGators around them so I assume they're being looked after.

It's nice to see something happening!