Public park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
United States historic place
Rittenhouse Square
is a neighborhood, including a public park, in
Center City Philadelphia
,
Pennsylvania
. Rittenhouse Square often specifically refers to the park, while the neighborhood as a whole is referred to simply as Rittenhouse. The park is one of the five original open-space parks planned by
William Penn
and his surveyor
Thomas Holme
during the late 17th century.
Together with
Fitler Square
, the Rittenhouse neighborhood and the square comprise the Rittenhouse?Fitler Historic District.
Rittenhouse Square Park is maintained by the non-profit group The Friends of Rittenhouse Square.
[2]
The square cuts off 19th Street at
Walnut Street
and also at a half-block above Manning Street. Its boundaries are 18th Street to the east, Walnut Street to the north, and Rittenhouse Square West, a north?south boundary street, and Rittenhouse Square South, an east?west boundary street, making the park approximately two short blocks on each side.
Locust Street
borders Rittenhouse Square to both its east and west in the middle of the square.
History
[
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]
19th century
[
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]
Originally called Southwest Square, Rittenhouse Square was renamed in 1825 after
David Rittenhouse
, a descendant of the first paper-maker in Philadelphia, the
German
immigrant
William Rittenhouse
.
[3]
William Rittenhouse's original paper-mill site is known as
Rittenhousetown
, located in the rural setting of
Fairmount Park
along
Paper Mill Run
. David Rittenhouse was a clockmaker and friend of the
American Revolution
, as well as a noted astronomer; a lunar
crater
is named after him.
In the early 19th century, as the city grew steadily from the
Delaware River
to the
Schuylkill River
, it became obvious that Rittenhouse Square would become a highly desirable address.
James Harper
, a merchant and brick manufacturer who had recently retired from the United States Congress, was the first person to build on the square, buying most of the north frontage, erecting a stately townhouse for himself at 1811 Walnut Street (c. 1840). Having thus set the patrician residential tone that would subsequently define the Square, he divided the rest of the land into generously proportioned building lots and sold them. Sold after the congressman's death, the Harper house became the home of the exclusive
Rittenhouse Club
, which added the present facade in c. 1901.
From 1876 to 1929, Rittenhouse Square was home to several wealthy families including
Pennsylvania Railroad
president
Alexander Cassatt
, real estate entrepreneur
William Weightman III
,
department store
founder
John Wanamaker
, Philadelphia planning commission director
Edmund Bacon
and his son, actor
Kevin Bacon
, as well as others.
20th century
[
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]
Elegant churches and clubs were constructed by
John Notman
and
Frank Furness
. In 1913, French architect
Paul Philippe Cret
redesigned parts of the Square to resemble Paris and the French gardens, adding classical entryways and stone additions to railings, pools, and fountains.
After
World War II
, Rittenhouse Square's
Victorian
mansions began to be replaced with high-rise residential and office buildings such as Claridge and Savoy. Vacant lots were converted to apartments and hotels. Still, some prominent
Italianate
and
Art Deco
buildings remain,
[4]
[5]
[6]
and Rittenhouse Square has changed the least out of the city's initial squares. Journalist and author
Jane Jacobs
wrote about two main ideas in Cret's redesign: intricacy and centering.
[6]
In the mid-20th century, the park became known as a
safe area for gays and lesbians
to meet in
Center City
.
[7]
Arts and culture
[
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]
Rittenhouse Square is surrounded by high rise residences, luxury apartments, an office tower, a few popular restaurants, a recently shuttered
Barnes & Noble
bookstore, a
Starbucks
that has been the center of controversy for racial discrimination,
[8]
and a five-star hotel. Its green grasses and dozens of benches are popular lunch-time destinations for residents and workers in Philadelphia's
Center City
neighborhood
, while its lion and goat statues are popular gathering spots for small children and their parents. The park is a popular
dog walking
destination for area residents, as was shown in the fictional film
In Her Shoes
. The Square was discussed in a favorable light by
Jane Jacobs
in her seminal work,
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
.
The Rittenhouse Square neighborhood is home to many cultural institutions, including the
Curtis Institute of Music
,
Philadelphia Youth Orchestra
, the Ethical Society, the
Philadelphia Art Alliance
, the
Rosenbach Museum & Library
,
Plays & Players
, the Wine School of Philadelphia, and the Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum.
Delancey Place
is a quiet, historical street lined with Civil War-era mansions and the setting for Hollywood movies, located only two blocks south of the square.
The square is home to many works of public art. Among them is a bas-relief bust of
J. William White
done by
R. Tait McKenzie
.
Billy
, the goat was created by Philadelphian Albert Laessle, who also designed the
Penguins
statue at the
Philadelphia Zoo
.
Education
[
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]
Residents are in the Albert M. Greenfield School catchment area for grades
kindergarten through eight
;
[9]
all persons assigned to Greenfield are zoned to
Benjamin Franklin High School
.
[10]
Previously
South Philadelphia High School
was the neighborhood's zoned high school.
[11]
The
Curtis Institute of Music
,
University of the Arts
, and
Peirce College
are all in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood.
The
Free Library of Philadelphia
operates the Philadelphia City Institute on the first floor and lower level of an apartment complex at 1905
Locust Street
; the apartment building is known as 220 West Rittenhouse Square .
[12]
Transportation
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]
Rittenhouse Square is accessible via several forms of
public transportation
.
All
SEPTA Regional Rail
lines stop at
Suburban Station
, about six blocks north and east of the Square.
The
PATCO Speedline
, a rapid transit system connecting Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, has its western terminus at 16th and
Locust
Sts., two blocks east of the Square.
The
SEPTA
9, 12, 21, and 42 buses westbound run along Walnut Street. The 17 runs northbound along 20th Street and southbound along 19th Street and Rittenhouse Square West and the 2 runs northbound along 16th Street and southbound along 17th Street.
The
SEPTA Subway?Surface Trolley Lines
have a station at 19th and Market Streets, two blocks north of the Square. The
Walnut?Locust station
on the
Broad Street Subway
is four blocks east.
In popular culture
[
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]
Movies
[
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]
- Rittenhouse Square
, a 2022 movie starring
Nick Nolte
about a young singer and a homeless veteran who remedy dark times with friendship and music in Rittenhouse Square and
Philadelphia
, served as the inspiration for the film's name, which was also largely filmed in Rittenhouse Square.
- Movies with scenes in Rittenhouse Square or references to it include
Rocky II
(1979),
Trading Places
(1983),
The Happening
(2008), and others.
See also
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]
References
[
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]
- ^
"National Register Information System"
.
National Register of Historic Places
.
National Park Service
. January 23, 2007.
- ^
"Guide"
(PDF)
.
Phila.gov
. Retrieved
August 22,
2018
.
- ^
"Friends of Rittenhouse"
.
friendsofrittenhouse.org
.
- ^
Merin, Jennifer (June 1, 1986). "Rittenhouse Square gives Philadelphia style". Chicago Tribune. Chicago Tribune.
ProQuest
169235714
.
- ^
Skaler, Robert Morris; Keels, Thomas H. (2008).
Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square
. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub. pp. 7?8.
ISBN
978-0-7385-5743-4
.
- ^
a
b
Saska, Jim (May 4, 2016).
"On Rittenhouse Square: Perfect from then on"
.
PlanPhilly
. Retrieved
March 31,
2017
.
- ^
Nickels, Thom (September?October 2003). "Philadelphia Stories".
The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide; Boston
.
10
(5): 25.
ProQuest
198663026
.
- ^
"Men arrested at Starbucks say they feared for their lives"
.
Lowellsun.com
. Retrieved
April 19,
2018
.
- ^
"
Albert M. Greenfield School
."
Center City Schools
.
- ^
"
High School Directory Fall 2017 Admissions
" (
Archive
).
School District of Philadelphia
. p. 30/70. Retrieved on November 16, 2016.
- ^
"
Albert M. Greenfield School - Where the Graduates Go
."
Center City Schools
.
- ^
"
Philadelphia City Institute
."
Free Library of Philadelphia
. Retrieved on January 20, 2009.
External links
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Places adjacent to Rittenhouse Square
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