Philadelphia Neighborhood Series- Rittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square gets its posh reputation for the chic bars and high profile restaurants that surround it, the fashionable shops, art galleries, and spas along the streets, and the elegant apartment buildings and hotels that look down on its streets. All which are centered around the focal point of Rittenhouse Square, the park. The park is one of the five open spaced parks planned by William Penn back in the Seventeenth century. In the early 1900’s a French architect helped revamp the park which would resemble some French features such as gardens or squares in France. Today it is one of the most popular places to gather in Philly and is always filled with people walking their dogs, people on their lunch break, or people meeting up with friends to hangout. There are always art exhibits going on, annual holiday festivals, and an amazing farmers markets every Saturday.
The square is lined with amazing restaurants and shops such as Parc, Rouge, Scarpetta, The Dandelion, Vernick, Boyds and Di Bruno Bros Market. There are many more amazing restaurants in the area, but these are just the few that compliment the unique, upscale vibe of Rittenhouse Square.
Rittenhouse square carries a lot of history much like most of Philadelphia.The park was part of planned open space originated by William Penn. It then came to be know as Rittenhouse after David Rittenhouse, the first paper maker and paper-mill business in Philadelphia. Later James Harper, a former US Congress member, would be the first to build on the square. After that the square started to attract many wealthy families who ended up building and forming the beautiful and historic buildings that still exist today. Rittenhouse Square is now among one of the highest-income urban neighborhoods in the country.
Rittenhouse really captures the soul of upscale, traditional Philadelphia. It’s hard not to fall in love with the tree lined streets, the historic architect and beautiful and unique restaurants and shops that exist in the neighborhood. It’s a neighborhood thats worth exploring if you ever come to Philadelphia or are thinking about moving here.