Bardascino Park

Bardascino Park. . , The site of Bardascino Park was occupied by a house and surrounding gardens until 1891, when the Hebrew Education Society purchased the land to build a community center for the area's growing Jewish population. The house was demolished and construction began later that year on Touro Hall, named after the renowned Jewish American philosopher and philanthropist Judiah Touro., The building contained an auditorium, classrooms, a Hebrew school, and training facilities for various industrial trades. The Society moved out of the neighborhood in the 1920s and sold the building to Dr. Vincent Fabiani, who operated the Fabiani Italian Hospital on the northeast corner of 10th and Christian streets. Fabiani moved into Touro Hall and renamed it Community Hospital. It was called the Philadelphia Italian Hospital from 1936 to 1942 and then, as Community Hospital once again, served the neighborhood until it closed in 1968., The building stood empty until 1978, when it was acquired by the City and razed. The site was redeveloped as Bardascino Park, named for local resident Giuseppe Bardascino, who formed the Philadelphia Brass Band in 1912 and managed the Philadelphia Italian Band for 40 years.