Park To Honor Woman Who Saved Elfreth's Alley In Old City

PHILADELPHIA — A new park in Old City Philadelphia will honor the person who led the effort to preserve the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the United States.

Old City District, in partnership with the Elfreth's Alley Association and with support from the Old City Community Fund, Tuesday announced plans to create Dolly Ottey Park.

Ottey led preservation efforts for Elfreth's Alley in the 1930s and lived on the historic street herself.

The Dolly Ottey Park Project will feature planters, trees, and crushed stone pathways, creating an aesthetically pleasing entrance to America's oldest continuously inhabited residential street.

Organizers are seeking to raise $60,000 to transform an underused parcel into a community space ahead of the nation's Semiquincentennial celebrations in Philadelphia in 2026.

The interim design allows stakeholders to activate the site immediately and be used as a neighborhood gathering space, while garnering community feedback that will shape a permanent park project in the future.

Old City has one of the highest densities of residents and visitors in Philadelphia, but some of the smallest amounts of public space outside the National Park. Every year, nearly 400,000 people from across the globe visit Elfreth’s Alley, which is the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the United States, dating back to 1703.

"The newly reimagined Dolly Ottey Park is about creating a space where local residents can gather, visitors can connect with history, and our community can come together, and we're excited to work alongside our partners to bring this vision to life," Job Itzkowitz, Executive Director of Old City District, said. "This project transforms an underused corner into a welcoming gathering place that honors our neighborhood's past while serving its future."

"Philadelphia and especially its historic district will be under international spotlights as we celebrate our nation’s 250th. The new park design will be well able to accommodate the expected increase in visitors, and at a crucial location in the neighborhood," Liz Welsh, President of the Elfreth's Alley Association, said. "We’re excited for the many possibilities the finished park will open for us and look forward to seeing how residents and neighbors will incorporate Dolly Ottey park into their everyday lives as the semiquincencentennial festivities wind down."

With sufficient funding, construction would begin in February 2026 and achieve completion in March 2026 — ahead of the spring tourism season and America's 250th anniversary celebrations.

Community members are invited to support the project online here. All donations to the Old City Community Fund are tax-deductible.