Rittenhouse Square District

Rittenhouse Square District is located between the Avenue of the Arts and 22nd St. and from Market St. to Pine St.

This neighborhood offers something for everyone, from nightclubs and live music venues, public art, galleries and museums, and top-notch cuisine from every corner of the world. It is the home of 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. In the center of it all is Rittenhouse Square Park, perhaps William Penn’s most famous park, which is located at 18th and Walnut Streets. It’s certainly the most refined in town, surrounded by upscale condos, exclusive boutiques, and some of Philly’s hottest restaurants.

Rittenhouse Square History

One of William Penn’s original five squares, Rittenhouse Square was previously known as the Southwest Square. In 1825 it was re-named in honor of David Rittenhouse (1732-1796), a brilliant Philadelphian astronomer, clock maker, and friend of the American Revolution.

By the 1850s, a building boom began and in the second half of the 19th century the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood became the most fashionable residential section of the city, the home of Philadelphia’s “Victorian aristocracy”. Some of the mansions of that period still survive on the streets facing the square, although most of the grand homes gave away to apartment buildings after 1913.

Today, the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood features some of the most upscale real estate in the city of Philadelphia. It offers luxury living in the heart of the city with modern and traditional residences, lofts, high-rise condominiums, apartments, and historic homes.