Abstract Activism: Sam Maitin's Philadelphia

Many of Sam Maitin’s artistic collaborators were his neighbors in the rapidly changing neighborhood of Society Hill, south of Independence Hall. Maitin was one of many artists and young professionals to move to the area as it was targeted for redevelopment by city lawmakers and urban planners. Their plan for “urban renewal” aimed to attract middle-class families with favorable lending practices. In 1961, Maitin bought a 150-year-old rowhouse at 704 Pine Street and made it his studio and family home for the remainder of his life. He regularly collaborated with poets, playwrights, visual artists, creative professionals, and children who lived in the neighborhood.

Unlike many new residents of Society Hill, Maitin joined with long-time residents of the neighborhood to fight their displacement. Redevelopment razed buildings populated by many low-income renters, and many Black and Eastern European working-class families struggled to stay in their homes. Motivated by his upbringing, Sam mediated meetings related to the gentrification.

Dorothy Miller, a lifelong resident who organized neighbors to fight displacement, recounted how she and Sam Maitin went door-to-door to gain support for their petitions and secured the assistance of Community Legal Services and the Society Hill Civic Association. In 1972, Sam Maitin published an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer arguing that Society Hill had room for residents of all classes.