Preliminary historical report on
Andorra Run (Wise’s Mill Run) watershed
By Adam Levine, Historical Consultant
PWD Office of Watersheds

This small watershed covers about 446 acres in the Roxborough and Andorra neighborhoods on the western flank of the Wissahickon Valley. Until the mid-20th century, the watershed was mostly rural, with scattered homes and estates throughout the area and concentrated residential development in several sections along Ridge Avenue. The post-World War II housing boom, combined with the widening of Henry Avenue in the mid-1950s, opened up the watershed to denser development that today includes numerous high-rise and low-rise apartment complexes, and a sprawling shopping center that sits on top of the stream’s original source. Historical resources affecting the stream (such as dams, spring houses, and nearby ruins of old buildings) are outlined in the “Description of Streams and Features” below. An inventory of all historically significant resources within the watershed was beyond the scope of this report.

 

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Page last modified July 31, 2010