Neighborhooods
Philadelphia,
the City of Neighborhoods
Rittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century. The park, between 18th Street and Rittenhouse Square West and between Walnut Street and Rittenhouse Square West, cuts off 19th Street at Walnut Street and also at a half block above Manning Street. Originally called Southwest Square, Rittenhouse Square was renamed in 1825 after David Rittenhouse. Today, the tree-filled park is surrounded by high-rise residences, luxury apartments, an office tower, popular restaurants and shopping as well as upscale hotels. Its green grasses and dozens of benches are popular lunchtime 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.
Fitler Square
Fitler Square, between 23rd and 24th Streets and between Panama and Pine Streets, is in the southwestern part of Philadelphia's Center City district. Fitler Square was named for late 19th Century Philadelphia Mayor Edwin Henry Fitler. Today the neighborhood is mostly residential and composed of single-family homes, and it is within a short walk of the commercial areas of Center City.
Washington Square
Washington Square, originally designated in 1682 as Southeast Square, is an open-space park in Center City Philadelphia's Southeast quadrant and one of the five original planned squares laid out on the city grid by William Penn's surveyor, Thomas Holme. It is part of both the Washington Square West and Society Hill neighborhoods. In 2005, the National Park Service took over ownership and management of Washington Square, through an easement from the City of Philadelphia. Washington Square is now part of Independence National Historical Park.
Society Hill
Society Hill is a neighborhood in Center City, loosely defined as bounded by Walnut, Lombard, Front and 7th Streets. It contains the largest concentration of original 18th- and early 19th-century architecture of any place in the United States. Society Hill is noted as a charming district with cobblestone streets bordered by brick townhouses in Federal and Georgian style.
Old City
Old City is a neighborhood in Center City in the area near the Delaware River where William Penn and the Quakers first settled. To tourists, it is best known as the site of Independence Hall and the Independence National Historic Park, the Betsey Ross House and many of Philadelphia’s other historic sites. The Old City district occupies the blocks between Front and Sixth Streets and between Vine and Walnut Streets and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It is one of the city’s popular nightlife destinations, with many lounges, dive bars and quality restaurants. The 3rd Street Corridor is home to many locally owned businesses such as galleries and boutiques and boasts the First Friday event, where shops hold evening-hours open houses to feature art, design and fashion.
Queen Village
Queen Village is a residential neighborhood that lies along the eastern edge of the city, immediately south of Center City. It shares boundaries with Society Hill to the north, Bella Vista to the west and Pennsport to the south. Historically, the area is part of old Southwark, Philadelphia's first suburb, which was incorporated into the city in 1856 and remains the city's oldest residential neighborhood. Between Lombard Street and Washington Avenue and from Front Street to 6th Street, it encompasses two principle commercial corridors, South Street and Fabric Row on 4th Street. Today, the South Street - Head House District is home to upwards of 300 cafes, restaurants, entertainment venues, and shops and to some 7,000 families whose median income and home values are among the highest in the city. The district is served by the very well-organized Queen Village Neighborhood Association.
Graduate Hospital
Graduate Hospital, located in the Southwest Center City neighborhood, is named after the medical facility that is now Penn Medicine at Rittenhouse. The neighborhood, sometimes called South of South, SoSo, Naval Square or Schuylkill-Southwest, is bordered by South Street, Washington Avenue, Broad Street and the Schuylkill River. Adjacent to Fitler Square and Rittenhouse Square, it is home to several community service organizations, many churches, a few retail establishments, some light industry and is home to primarily nineteenth and twentieth-century rowhomes.
Art Museum
The Art Museums District, also known as the Parkway Museums District or simply The Parkway, is in Center City along the Ben Franklin Parkway from Fairmount Hill to Logan Circle. The area is sometimes extended to include sites like Boathouse Row and City Hall and encompasses parts of several neighborhoods like Fairmount, Spring Garden, Franklinville and Logan Square. The district gets its namesake from the museums in the area: the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Academy of Natural Sciences, the Rodin Museum, the Franklin Institute, the Barnes Foundation and the main branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia.