Philadelphia has many historic African American sites because it was a major destination for African Americans fleeing the oppressive South. Unfortunately barely one percent of the Pennsylvania listings on the National Register of Historic Places are related to African American history.
Some changes are being made, and in 2012, the National Park Service added Joe Frazier’s Gym to the National Register of Historic Places and the National Trust added the gym to its 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list. The following year, the Philadelphia Historical Commission added Joe Frazier’s Gym to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.
A recent Hidden City post highlights some of the struggle to preserve African American historic sites in Philadelphia.