The Exhibition presented Philadelphia as a world capital of technology and industry. Here the first typewriter, telephone, and passenger elevator were publicly introduced, as was the groundbreaking Corliss Steam Engine.

In preparation for the Exhibition, hotels and restaurants sprung up in the nearby area, previously sparsely developed. After the Exhibition closed, two major permanent buildings remained: Memorial Hall and Horticultural Hall. Memorial Hall served as the city’s art museum until 1926.

A recent bird's-eye drawing of the Parkside National Register Historic District.

After the Number 40 electric trolley was installed in 1895, development in Parkside increased at a rapid rate. German brewers including Frederick Poth and Joseph Schmidt bought most of the land in the area and used avant-garde architects who developed highly ornamented houses based on the latest German and Dutch styles. As a result, Parkside has an extraordinary collection of stately and ostentatious mansions.

After 1900, Eastern European Jewish immigrants began to settle in Parkside, replacing the old German population. New blocks of worker housing were constructed, as were shops, synagogues and movie theaters.

After World War II, large numbers of African Americans moved into Parkside, as the former residents moved out of the neighborhood. The new residents did not have the means to maintain the historic mansions and a number of them fell into disrepair.

In 1983 Parkside was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and today the neighborhood is seeing a vibrant rebirth. The Parkside Historic Preservation Corporation has restored 20 historic mansions, and has attracted outside organizations to invest in the area. A number of new initiatives by partners like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Please Touch Museum, the Philadelphia Zoo, and the Philadelphia School District show that Parkside’s potential is beginning to be realized. Parkside is seeing the beginning of a great revitalization, focused around the legacy of the neighborhood’s deep and cherished history.