Rittenhouse Square is a neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia. It is located in the area surrounding Rittenhouse Square, one of the original five parks that William Penn designed in the 17th century. During the 1700s, cattle and other livestock were frequently seen grazing in the area. It was originally called the Southwest Square, but in 1825 was renamed in honor of David Rittenhouse, Philadelphian astronomer clock maker, and the first director of the United States Mint. In the 1850s, the area surrounding the Square attracted the wealthy “Victorian Aristocracy” of Philadelphia, making it a fashionable residential district populated with numerous townhouses. Many of these Victorian townhouses surrounded the Square up until the 1950s, when the majority of them were knocked down in order to build high rise apartment buildings. Today Rittenhouse Square remains primarily residential, but has many restaurants, bars, shops, and numerous schools and venues for arts and culture. The Square and its surroundings attract people of all different ages and backgrounds, no longer the exclusive residential area it was over 150 years ago.
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