Every great city has a favorite place to slow down, and in Philadelphia that place is Rittenhouse Square. Set at 18th and Walnut Streets in the heart of Center City, this handsome, tree-filled park is one of the five original squares planned by city founder William Penn in the late 17th century, and Visit Philadelphia calls it the city’s most popular town square.
The square is named for David Rittenhouse, the celebrated astronomer and clockmaker, and its design is pure, calm geometry. Diagonal walkways begin at the corners and meet at a central oval, where a large planter bed and a gentle reflecting pool are ringed by a balustrade and a circular walk. Classical urns, many carved with relief figures of ancient Greeks, rest on pedestals at the entrances, and ornamental lamp posts give the whole scene an air of old-fashioned gentility.
On any sunny day the square hums with happy, everyday life: friends catching up on the wooden benches, readers tucked under the tall trees, painters at work, picnics spread across the manicured lawns and neighbors out for a stroll among the sculptures. In autumn, when this photograph was taken, the canopy turns gold and the light through the leaves is reason enough to visit.
Rittenhouse Square is part of the Fairmount Park system, cared for in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and the nonprofit Friends of Rittenhouse Square, whose mission is to preserve, protect and beautify it. It is free, open every day, and an easy, joyful stop on any Center City walk — come for ten minutes, and do not be surprised if you stay for an hour.
Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons
