It’s only fitting that the 110th birthday celebration of the Philadelphia trolley take place in South Philly.
After all, the vehicle’s local history started here.
In 1888, the electric streetcar made its American debut in Richmond, Va., noted trolley historian Joel Spivak. Four years later, the invention surfaced in Philadelphia — South Philly, to be exact.
The Catharine and Bainbridge Streets Railway began operation on Dec. 15, 1892, from Fourth and Bainbridge streets.
But trolleys predate Victorian times; they’ve actually been rolling since before the Civil War, said Spivak. The first horse-drawn streetcar traces its roots to 1858.
The City of Brotherly Love’s first exposure to the horse-drawn streetcar came via the Fifth and Sixth Street Line. Spivak said the route originated at Montgomery Avenue in North Philly, then made its way down Sixth Street to Morris before returning to Montgomery.
The trolley’s vibrant, colorful past will be on display Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Da Vinci Art Alliance at 704 Catharine St. Spivak, who can’t get enough electric streetcar nostalgia, organized the free festivities. Any visitors with questions will have the benefit of his vast trolley experience.
"It’s like some kind of Zen thing. Anywhere I go in the world, I ride on trolley cars just to see where they go and how they operate," said Spivak, of the 600 block of Carpenter Street.
Trolley art of the past decade by area schoolchildren and local artists will be on display. The exhibit, which runs through the end of the month, features work by two South Philly artists, James Dupree and Tom Potts. A color rendition of Dupree’s trolley-car mural in Frankford will be in house, along with some of Potts’ original trolley artwork.
Santa is even making a special guest appearance. And, of course, no birthday bash would be complete without cake.
Spivak also is encouraging partygoers to assist in a work-in-progress — The Artist Train and Trolley Layout.
"People can bring their own materials to build, design and decorate The Artist Train and Trolley Layout. We have a track set up so they can bring their own trains to run or race them," he said.
The Da Vinci Art Alliance possesses almost as interesting a history as the streetcar itself.
South Philly Italian sculptors started the club in the 1930s, said Spivak. "It’s a well-known part of South Philly history. According to legend, they used to meet and have spaghetti dinners."
Today, anyone can rent the space for exhibits or other uses, added Spivak.
The trolley enthusiast chose to host the birthday bash at the Art Alliance for a specific reason and, of course, it has to do with trolleys.
"I liked it because it’s on the original trolley route," he said with a laugh.
Spivak’s fascination with the electric-powered vehicles started when he was growing up in West Philadelphia.
Trolley tracks ran by his parents’ house at 42nd Street and Girard Avenue. Hearing the clanging of the car and the ringing of the bell as it made its way past the Spivak residence, the youth was hooked for life.
Trolleys were a quintessential part of Philadelphia during the 1920s and ’30s, and 96 independent companies in the region owned and operated 4,592 miles of trolley tracks in 1922.
Today, tracks remain visible on many South Philly streets and are nostalgic reminders of simpler times before the advent of the automobile.
"Everywhere we went, we went by the trolley car. If you went somewhere, you either walked or went by streetcar," Spivak recalled.
Before he and his friends could drive, they amused themselves every Saturday afternoon by riding every trolley line in Philly.
A mere 10 cents bought a ticket to fun and freedom in those lazy days of youth. "We called it our age of exploration," Spivak said.
The boys would collect soda bottles or run errands for stores to get the dime. "Then we would go back and forth on the same line, stop off at a restaurant and have some ethnic food, get back on," he said.
On Sundays, kids rode free — with an adult, of course. Spivak and his friends were clever enough to wait at a trolley stop for an adult to come up and board the car, then just follow nonchalantly. Once on, you could ride free all day, Spivak added.
Through the historian’s efforts, South Philly has hosted trolley birthday celebrations for the past decade.
Every year, on or around Dec. 15, Spivak has visited area schools and presented a slide show on the history of the streetcars. He encouraged students to create trolley-themed birthday cards and artwork.
In 1995, the city sponsored an event called TrolleyFest that was designed to spark interest in a forgotten piece of history.
Four years later, then-Mayor Ed Rendell issued a proclamation making Dec. 15 the birthday of the Philadelphia trolley.
"It’s kind of like a quasi-Philadelphia holiday. Everybody should celebrate it and ride trolleys," said Spivak.
He added that he is lobbying SEPTA to offer free trolley rides on that date.
