PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future

Society Hill is a neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia. The area is bound by Walnut Street, Lombard Street, Front Street, and 8th Street. In 1683, William Penn granted this area to a London development company call the Free Society of Traders, the organization that gives Society Hill its name. During the 18th century, this area was mostly populated with the wealthy upper classes, but when the Industrial Revolution came to the city, these wealthy classes moved west and Society Hill became a mixture of social classes. From the mid 19th century into the 20th century, Society Hill slowly declined. Yet this area retained its Georgian buildings from the 18th and early 19th centuries. Following World War II, Philadelphians decided to restore their historic and derelict neighborhoods, including Society Hill. Edmund Bacon is usually credited with the idea of restoring Society Hill. Unlike similar neighborhoods in other cities, Bacon decided not to raze the Georgian structures and chose to retain as many of the structures as possible. Only unsalvageable structures and those in the way of the construction of I-95 were destroyed. Today Society Hill contains more Georgian structures than any neighborhood in the country. The area is now known for a rich cultural and ethnic diversity and remains a mostly residential neighborhood.