Defunct South Philly refinery is rebranded as the Bellwether District

HRP, the company formerly known as Hilco Redevelopment Partners, on Monday unveiled a new name for the commercial real estate venture it plans to build on the site of the shuttered South Philadelphia refinery: the Bellwether District.

The Chicago company acquired the 1,300-acre Philadelphia Energy Solutions property out of bankruptcy last year. It previously disclosed plans to clean up the polluted complex, where petroleum was refined for more than 150 years, and build a warren of giant warehouses.

HRP said the e-commerce, logistics, and life sciences businesses that it hopes to attract to the site will create 19,000 permanent jobs over the next 15 years.

The Bellwether District name “reaffirms Philadelphia’s role as an innovator and achiever of many firsts for the country from the first library, hospital, and medical school to the birthplace of a new nation,” HRP said in a statement.

HRP, which has been under pressure from environmental and social justice activists, said the project will create opportunities for local residents and “foster meaningful connections between the city and the district.” Four new city streets are being created, two of which will be named after historic African American figures: James Forten, a Philadelphia businessperson and abolitionist, and Frances Harper, one of the first African American women to be published in America.

The new name will be launched this week in ads on billboards and radio. The venture has also locked in a slate of social media handles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.