Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square

Images of America: Pennsylvania

by Robert Morris Skaler, Thomas H. Keels

During the Gilded Age, Rittenhouse Square was home to Philadelphiaas high society, with more millionaires per square foot than any other American neighborhood except New Yorkas Fifth Avenue. Established by William Penn in 1682 as the South-West Square and renamed after astronomer David Rittenhouse in 1825, Rittenhouse Square and its environs changed from an isolated district of brickyards and workersa shanties into the cityas most elegant and elite neighborhood between 1845 and 1865. The brownstone and marble mansions on the square itself were inhabited by the cityas wealthiest and most prestigious families, with names like Biddle, Cassatt, Drexel, Stotesbury, and Van Rensselaer. As Philadelphiaas upper classes fled to the suburbs in the early 20th century, their mansions were replaced by skyscrapers or taken over by cultural institutions like the Philadelphia Art Alliance and the Curtis Institute of Music. While only a few original residences remain on Rittenhouse Square, it is still the center of a lively upscale neighborhood.

128 pages, Paperback

First published June 11, 2008

Reviews

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

- Post the Great Depression, no new building was built between 1929 and 1950 in the Rittenhouse area

- Like the rest of the US, with white flight taken shape, Rittenhouse was struggling post WW2 all the way till 1980s when the area became a hot housing market again

- During the struggling years for the Rittenhouse, the park has became a magnet that attracts hippies and detered many other to enter the park

- Change is the only constant

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of photos documenting Rittenhouse Square. A few fewer photos of dead railroad executives and a few more of the square itself would have made for a lighter read.