Editing Rittenhouse Square (section)

== History ==

=== William Penn's Original Plan ===

William Penn designed Philadelphia in 1682 with five public squares intended as open spaces for the health and recreation of residents. Penn believed these green spaces were essential to creating a "greene countrie towne" that would provide relief from the crowded, disease-prone conditions of European cities. The five squares were arranged in a cruciform pattern:

* '''Centre Square''' - Now the site of [[Philadelphia City Hall]]
* '''Northeast Square''' - Now Franklin Square
* '''Southeast Square''' - Now Washington Square
* '''Northwest Square''' - Now Logan Square
* '''Southwest Square''' - Now Rittenhouse Square

For its first 142 years, the park was known simply as Southwest Square. The area remained largely undeveloped until the mid-19th century, when wealthy Philadelphians began building grand townhouses around the square.

=== David Rittenhouse ===

Rittenhouse Square was renamed in '''1825''' in honor of '''David Rittenhouse''' (1732-1796), one of early America's most accomplished scientists. Born in Germantown, Rittenhouse was a self-taught astronomer, mathematician, clockmaker, and instrument maker who made significant contributions to American science.

David Rittenhouse's notable achievements include:

* Building two orreries (mechanical models of the solar system) considered masterpieces of 18th-century craftsmanship
* Observing the 1769 Transit of Venus, a critical astronomical event
* Serving as the first Director of the United States Mint (1792-1795)
* Succeeding [[Benjamin Franklin]] as president of the American Philosophical Society (1791-1796)
* Designing survey instruments used to establish state boundaries

Rittenhouse lived most of his life in Philadelphia and was buried at the Arch Street Presbyterian Church cemetery. His former observatory stood near the present-day intersection of 7th and Arch Streets.

=== From Goosetown to High Society ===

For most of the 18th century, the square remained deep within dense woods, offering pasturage for local livestock and serving as a convenient dumping spot for "night soil." Until the city's elite began building mansions in the 1850s, the neighborhood had a distinctly unglamorous nickname: '''Goosetown'''.

Neighbors first began improving the square in 1816, adding lawns and a wooden fence to keep grazing animals away. In the decade before the Civil War, the square gained trees, walkways, and fountains—though the fountains created so much mud that City Council ordered them removed.

James Harper, a merchant and brick manufacturer who had recently retired from the United States Congress, became the first person to build on the square around 1840, purchasing most of the north frontage and erecting a stately townhouse at 1811 Walnut Street. A building boom followed in the 1850s, and by the second half of the 19th century, Rittenhouse Square had become the most fashionable residential section of the city—home to Philadelphia's "Victorian aristocracy."

=== The 20th Century ===

In 1913, the newly formed Rittenhouse Square Improvement Association helped fund a redesign by Paul Philippe Cret, a French-born architect who also contributed to the design of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the [[Rodin Museum]]. Cret redesigned parts of the square to resemble Paris and the French gardens, adding classical entryways and stone additions to railings, pools, and fountains.

High-rise apartment buildings began replacing some of the original mansions in the 1920s and 1930s, though many historic townhouses remain. Following renovations made for America's Bicentennial in 1976, the Friends of Rittenhouse Square was established to serve as the nonprofit steward of the square.

=== Jane Jacobs and Urban Planning Legacy ===

Rittenhouse Square was discussed favorably by Jane Jacobs in her seminal 1961 work, ''The Death and Life of Great American Cities''. Jacobs, one of the 20th century's most influential urban thinkers, praised Rittenhouse Square as an example of successful urban park design—a place that works because of its relationship to the surrounding neighborhood rather than despite it.

Today, Rittenhouse Square is home to some of Philadelphia's most expensive real estate. Nearly two-thirds of residents earn $100,000 or more annually, and it maintains its reputation as the city's most desirable neighborhood.