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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

Rittenhouse Hotel and Condominiums

The Rittenhouse Condominiums, at 210 W Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103, provide ...
The Rittenhouse Condominiums, at 210 W Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103, provide residents with studio, o ...

The Murano

The Murano is an amenity-rich building with a 24-hour concierge, 60' indoor heated lap poo ...
The Murano is an amenity-rich building with a 24-hour concierge, 60' indoor heated lap pool, fitness center, sun te ...

The Lanesborough

Constructed in 1929, The Lanesborough is a 21-story building that has been transformed int ...
Constructed in 1929, The Lanesborough is a 21-story building that has been transformed into an 18 luxury condominiu ...

The Coronado

The Coronado is an elegant ten story condo building in Rittenhouse housing thirty-six unit ...
The Coronado is an elegant ten story condo building in Rittenhouse housing thirty-six units, and sits in the Fitler ...

The Barclay Condominiums

The Barclay Condominiums in Rittenhouse was built in 1929 by the world famous JER Carpente ...
The Barclay Condominiums in Rittenhouse was built in 1929 by the world famous JER Carpenter Company known for numer ...

Rittenhouse Plaza

Rittenhouse Plaza is an extraordinary Pre-War cooperative building precisely situated on P ...
Rittenhouse Plaza is an extraordinary Pre-War cooperative building precisely situated on Philadelphia’s treasured R ...

Rittenhouse Place

Rittenhouse Place Condominiums sits just steps off the Square, on the corner of 19th and S ...
Rittenhouse Place Condominiums sits just steps off the Square, on the corner of 19th and Spruce Streets in Philadel ...

The Dorchester Condominiums on Rittenhouse S...

The Dorchester Condominiums on Rittenhouse Square is a wonderful building offering studios ...
The Dorchester Condominiums on Rittenhouse Square is a wonderful building offering studios, one, two, and three bed ...

Residences at the Ritz Carlton

The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia combine legendary amenities with carefr ...
The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia combine legendary amenities with carefree Center City living to ...

Chestnut Street Condominiums

Chestnut Street Condominiums is a 10 story Center City condominium building with just 2 un ...
Chestnut Street Condominiums is a 10 story Center City condominium building with just 2 units per floor, and some f ...

250 Condominium Council Building

The Condominium Council Building in Rittenhouse is a graceful neoclassical building on 250 ...
The Condominium Council Building in Rittenhouse is a graceful neoclassical building on 250 South 18th Street. One o ...

23 Condominium

All 83 luxurious units at 23 Condominium includes amenities all designed to add convenienc ...
All 83 luxurious units at 23 Condominium includes amenities all designed to add convenience, comfort and joy to you ...

220 Rittenhouse

220 W. Rittenhouse Square offers residents the best advantages of city living... great vie ...
220 W. Rittenhouse Square offers residents the best advantages of city living... great views and a fabulous locatio ...

1900 Rittenhouse

1900 Rittenhouse Square Apartments is an historic high-rise building on Rittenhouse Square ...
1900 Rittenhouse Square Apartments is an historic high-rise building on Rittenhouse Square in downtown Philadelphia ...

1830 Rittenhouse Square

1830 Rittenhouse Square is acclaimed for its gorgeous extraordinary lobby, bay windows, be ...
1830 Rittenhouse Square is acclaimed for its gorgeous extraordinary lobby, bay windows, beautiful iron work, a lime ...

1820 Rittenhouse Square

1820 Rittenhouse Square 1820 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103 1820 Rittenhouse S ...
1820 Rittenhouse Square 1820 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103 1820 Rittenhouse Square is a very special a ...
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