When you think of Philadelphia, the first thing that may come to mind is Center City—the cluster of modern office buildings downtown, dating to the 1950s. Or is it South Philly (“Sowfilly”)—the Italian-American community famous for Mario Lanza, Frankie Avalon, and cheesesteak. But Fishtown? What is that? The old working-class fishing district in northeast Philadelphia along the Delaware River is becoming the city’s version of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, a neighborhood attracting young people to its low-rise blocks of brick, narrow townhouses—and increasingly to smart shops, cafés, restaurants, and hotels.

Fishtown’s newest entry in the latter category is Hotel Anna & Bel, a 50-key establishment at the corner of East Susquehanna Avenue and Belgrade Street. The mostly three-story brick complex, which gets its name from merging the last part of one street address with the first part of the other, occupies four structures, of which the oldest, “Mansion House,” dates to 1769. In 1858, Penn Asylum for Indigent Widows and Single Women (aka the Penn Widows’ Asylum) took over the property—an early example of an institution devoted to the care of women in a more home-like setting than an almshouse. The establishment, typically (and notably) under female leadership, expanded in stages over 142 years by acquiring and renovating neighboring parcels and erecting new additions. In 1982, the women’s institution was converted into a nursing facility for men and women. But then it closed in 2020, a victim of staffing shortfalls due to the pandemic. Fortunately, owing to the efforts of an organization known as the Keeping Society of Philadelphia, the assemblage was designated an historic landmark and placed under the supervision of the Philadelphia Historical Commission, a part of the city’s Department of Planning and Development.