A place for Kensington residents to co-create the future of the neighborhood
What is the Kensington Engagement Center?
The Kensington Engagement Center is a community engagement and exhibition space for Kensington residents to envision and co-create strategies to address the neighborhood’s challenges and achieve its collective goals.
The space is available for groups throughout Kensington to gather and convene in and will provide opportunities for residents to connect to a larger engagement process called Co-Creating Kensington.
Satelliting Services
The Kensington Engagement Center will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9AM to 5PM with resources and services from NKCDC and partners.
Tuesday
9AM-5PM
Housing and Energy Services, Community Health Worker Support, Neighborhood Advisory Committee Services
Thursday
9AM-12PM
Community Health Worker Support, Neighborhood Advisory Committee Services
1PM-5PM
Exhibit open hours. Reach out to us at engagementcenter@nkcdc.org to book a time for your group!
Kensington Avenue: Remembering the Past, Shaping the Future
Kensington Avenue: Remembering the Past, Shaping the Future opens in January of 2025 and explores the economic development and cultural identity of Kensington Avenue’s small business community.
The exhibit traces the Kensington Avenue commercial corridor through the last century and engages the community in reflecting on their own experiences and memories of the Avenue. The “past” displays historical photographs, a 1942 map of Kensington Avenue, and invites you to share photographs and record stories of what the Avenue once was. The “present” explores stories of fourteen Kensington small businesses today, highlighting the beauty, perseverance, and cultural assets that currently exist in the neighborhood.
As you remember what was and celebrate what is, we invite you to participate in a “pockets” meeting to envision what the Avenue can be.
Generations Under the El
For generations, Kensington has been a place where immigrant and working-class Philadelphians have been able to build a life for themselves and their families.
The Kensington Engagement Center’s first exhibit, Kensington Avenue: Remembering the Past, Shaping the Future, explores fourteen small businesses along Kensington Avenue today. Generations Under the El examines Kensington’s legacy of resilience and ingenuity, which is evident in long-standing businesses like Morris Auto Parts and Martin’s Deli, which have operated on Kensington Avenue for over a century. It is also reflected in more recent additions to the neighborhood like Cantina la Martina, Flip Out Gymnastics and Vientiane Bistro. Together, these entrepreneurs and their families embody the enduring spirit of Kensington’s past and play a central role in shaping the neighborhood’s promising future.
Maps & Directions
The Kensington Engagement Center is located at 3000 Kensington Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19134. The Kensington Engagement Center is open for group appointments beginning in the winter of 2025. Stay tuned for additional announcements on open hours!
To schedule time to visit the space, reach out to us at engagementcenter@nkcdc.org.
Contact the Kensington Engagement Center at engagementcenter@nkcdc.org