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RITTENHOUSE SQUARE

Philadelphia Communities, Featured Buildings  and Real Estate.

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 in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its boundaries are 18th Street to the East, Walnut St. to the north, Rittenhouse Square West to the west (between 19th and 20th streets), and Rittenhouse Square South to the south (between Locust and Spruce streets).

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. 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 nineteenth 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.

Today, the tree-filled park is surrounded with trendy shops, fine restaurants, luxury apartments and two hotels, including a five-star. Its green grasses and benches are popular lunch-time destinations for workers in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood, while its lion and goat statues are popular gathering spots for small children and their parents.

The beauty of the Park is due largely to the efforts of Friends of Rittenhouse Square, a public-private partnership with the Fairmount Park Commission. Landscaping, lighting, restoration of fountains and fencing—even the installation and stocking of doggie-bag dispensers—are all projects of the Friends of Rittenhouse Square.

The Rittenhouse neighborhood is also home to many cultural institutions, including the Curtis Institute of Music, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, the Rosenbach Museum & Library, and the Civil War and Underground Railroad Museum. The Square is home to many works of public art.

FEATURED PROPERTIES

Apartments & Condominiums

The Versailles Apartments

The Versailles Apartments 1530 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 UNMISTAKABLY PHILADEL ...
The Versailles Apartments 1530 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102 UNMISTAKABLY PHILADELPHIAN. DISTINCTLY YOURS. ...

The Aria Condominiums

Unparalleled. Unprecedented. Unrivaled. One of Philadelphia's most prominent 1920's Beaux- ...
Unparalleled. Unprecedented. Unrivaled. One of Philadelphia's most prominent 1920's Beaux-Arts buildings, Aria, loc ...

The Roosevelt

The Roosevelt Apartments 2220 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 The Roosevelt offers studi ...
The Roosevelt Apartments 2220 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 The Roosevelt offers studio and 1 bedroom apartment ...

AQ Rittenhouse

2021 Chestnut St 2021 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Experience luxury, center city l ...
2021 Chestnut St 2021 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Experience luxury, center city living in the AQ Rittenhou ...

The Beacon

The Beacon 1529 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19102 Formerly the headquarters for Brown Brot ...
The Beacon 1529 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19102 Formerly the headquarters for Brown Brothers Harriman, the oldest ...

2116 Chestnut Apartments

2116 Chestnut Apartments 2116 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Conveniently located in ...
2116 Chestnut Apartments 2116 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Conveniently located in Center City Philadelphia, ...

AKA Rittenhouse

AKA Rittenhouse 135 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 AKA Rittenhouse Square is delighted ...
AKA Rittenhouse 135 S 18th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 AKA Rittenhouse Square is delighted to unveil dramatic proper ...

Parc Rittenhouse

Parc Rittenhouse condominium and club on the east side of Rittenhouse Square at 225 South ...
Parc Rittenhouse condominium and club on the east side of Rittenhouse Square at 225 South 18th Street offers every ...

Riverloft Apartment Homes

Riverloft Apartments are urban style lofts steps away from Rittenhouse and Midtown where y ...
Riverloft Apartments are urban style lofts steps away from Rittenhouse and Midtown where you can experience the uni ...

1500 Locust Street

Stainless steel energy-saving appliances, granite countertops, maple cabinets and ceramic ...
Stainless steel energy-saving appliances, granite countertops, maple cabinets and ceramic tile available Washer/dr ...

Two Liberty Place

Two Liberty Place is the third tallest skyscraper in Philadelphia, and the 33rd tallest in ...
Two Liberty Place is the third tallest skyscraper in Philadelphia, and the 33rd tallest in the United States, stret ...

2040 Market Street

2040 Market Apartments offer breathtaking city views, ultra-modern 1- and 2-bedroom floor ...
2040 Market Apartments offer breathtaking city views, ultra-modern 1- and 2-bedroom floor plans, and a spacious com ...

Riverwest Condominiums

Living at Riverwest Condominiums affords a lifestyle that is easy to enjoy. The 400-unit c ...
Living at Riverwest Condominiums affords a lifestyle that is easy to enjoy. The 400-unit condominium is located jus ...

10 Rittenhouse Square

10 Rittenhouse Square marks the pinnacle of sophisticated city living. Rising 33 stories a ...
10 Rittenhouse Square marks the pinnacle of sophisticated city living. Rising 33 stories above its namesake park, o ...

The Warwick Condominiums

The Warwick Condominiums in Philadelphia come with luxury finishes, features, and appointm ...
The Warwick Condominiums in Philadelphia come with luxury finishes, features, and appointments comprising of the to ...

250 S 17th Street

250 South 17th Street is a private and gracious doorman building on the south east corner ...
250 South 17th Street is a private and gracious doorman building on the south east corner of Rittenhouse Square. Ty ...

The Wanamaker House

The Wanamaker House condos just off Rittenhouse Square offer some beautiful views which ar ...
The Wanamaker House condos just off Rittenhouse Square offer some beautiful views which are available from almost a ...

The Rittenhouse Savoy

The Rittenhouse Savoy Sits on the south side of Rittenhouse Square at 1810 Rittenhouse Squ ...
The Rittenhouse Savoy Sits on the south side of Rittenhouse Square at 1810 Rittenhouse Square. Known for its fabulo ...
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