Walnut Street (Philadelphia)

Last updated
Walnut Street
Walnut Street University City.jpg
Walnut Street in University City in front of University of Pennsylvania
Maintained by PennDOT and City of Philadelphia
Length5.57 mi (8.96 km) [1]
Component
highways
SR 3006 from Front Street to City Hall
PA-3.svg PA 3 westbound between 38th and Cobbs Creek Parkway in Philadelphia
Location Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
West endPA-3.svg PA 3 (Cobbs Creek Parkway) in Cobbs Creek
Major
junctions
US 13.svgPA-3.svg US 13  / PA 3 (38th Street) in University City
I-76.svg I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) in University City
PA-611.svg PA 611 (Broad Street) in Center City
East end Front Street in Penn's Landing
North Chestnut Street
SouthLocust Street

Walnut Street is located in Center City Philadelphia and extends to the Delaware River waterfront and West Philadelphia. Walnut Street has been characterized as "the city's premier shopping district" by The Philadelphia Inquirer . [2]

Contents

A portion of the street commonly called Rittenhouse Row was ranked 12th in 2005 by Women's Wear Daily among its list of the most expensive retail streets in North America, with rents of $90 per square foot. The street is home to several "upscale dining, retail and cultural" establishments. [3]

In 2013, rents rose to an average of $107 a foot, a growth of 34% over 2012 and the largest percentage growth of any retail corridor in the country. [4]

Route description

Walnut Street is most known for Rittenhouse Square Park and its upscale shopping district in the high-end neighborhood of the same name. The majority of designer and fast fashion stores located on Walnut Street are situated on a four-block stretch between Broad Street and 18th Street, which is anchored by the park on the southwest corner. This area of Walnut Street and a few blocks to the east features a variety of shops, eateries, bars, hotels, and office buildings.

Walnut Street Theatre, located at 825 Walnut Street, is the oldest continuously-operating theatre in the English-speaking world.

Among the many attractions and historic sites on Walnut Street are Independence National Historical Park and Society Hill on the east and Washington Square, Washington Square West, the St. James Hotel (1226-1232), the Philadelphia Stock Exchange (1419-1411), the Sun Oil Building (1608-1610), the 1616 Walnut Street Building, Rittenhouse Square, Estey Hall (1701 Walnut Street), and the Church of the Holy Trinity.

The Walnut Street Bridge, completed in 1949, crosses the Schuylkill River. On the west side of the river, the street crosses over the Schuylkill Expressway.

Further west, Walnut Street bisects the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university founded in the mid-18th century by Benjamin Franklin in the University City section of West Philadelphia. At Walnut and 47th Streets is the site of the old West Philadelphia High School, and the Paul Robeson House is located at the corner of 50th and Walnut Streets.

The street continues westward through Walnut Hill, Dunlap, and eventually Cobbs Creek, where the it ends.

Running parallel to Walnut Street, one or two blocks to the north, depending on whether the side street Sansom Street is counted, is Chestnut Street. Pennsylvania Route 3 westbound follows Walnut Street from 38th Street (U.S. Route 13) to its western terminus at Cobbs Creek Parkway.


See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of Prussia (shopping mall)</span> Shopping mall in Pennsylvania, U.S.

King of Prussia, also referred to as King of Prussia Mall, is a shopping mall located in the community of King of Prussia in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania. It is the largest shopping mall in Pennsylvania and the third-largest shopping mall in the United States in terms of gross leasable area. It is an upscale mall with 450 retailers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robson Street</span>

Robson Street is a major southeast-northwest thoroughfare in downtown and West End of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Its core commercial blocks from Burrard Street to Jervis were also known as Robsonstrasse. Its name honours John Robson, a major figure in British Columbia's entry into the Canadian Confederation, and Premier of the province from 1889 to 1892. Robson Street starts at BC Place Stadium near the north shore of False Creek, then runs northwest past Vancouver Library Square, Robson Square and the Vancouver Art Gallery, coming to an end at Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rittenhouse Square</span> Public park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Rittenhouse Square is a neighborhood, including a public park, in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rittenhouse Square often specifically refers to the park, while the neighborhood as a whole is referred to simply as Rittenhouse. The park is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnificent Mile</span> Neighborhood and street in Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Magnificent Mile, sometimes referred to as The Mag Mile, is an upscale section of Chicago's Michigan Avenue, running from the Chicago River to Oak Street in the Near North Side. The district is located within downtown and one block east of Rush Street. The Magnificent Mile serves as the main thoroughfare between Chicago's Loop business district and its Gold Coast. It is generally the western boundary of the Streeterville neighborhood, to its east, and of River North to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Although there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and the SEPTA Media/Wawa Line to the south. An alternate definition includes all city land west of the Schuylkill; this would also include Southwest Philadelphia and its neighborhoods. The eastern side of West Philadelphia is also known as University City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center City, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the city borders to be coterminous with Philadelphia County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Street (Philadelphia)</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, United States

South Street in Philadelphia, originally named Cedar Street in William Penn's original street grid, is an east–west street forming the southern border of Center City and the northern border for South Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Northwest Philadelphia is a section of the city of Philadelphia. The official boundary is Stenton Avenue to the north, the Schuylkill River to the southwest, Northwestern Avenue to the northwest, Roosevelt Boulevard to the south, and Wister Street and Stenton Avenue to the east. Conventionally, the area east of Wissahickon Creek, which comprises Germantown, Mount Airy, Chestnut Hill, and Cedarbrook, is termed the 'Upper Northwest', and the area west of the creek, which comprises Roxborough, Wissahickon, East Falls, and Manayunk, is termed the 'Lower Northwest'. The area of Philadelphia west of the Schuylkill River is known as West Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Police Department patrols two districts located within Northwest Philadelphia. The two patrol districts serving Northwest Philadelphia are the 5th and 14th districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cobbs Creek, Philadelphia</span> Historic house in Pennsylvania, United States

Cobbs Creek is a neighborhood located in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, named for the creek which forms part of Philadelphia's western border. Cobbs Creek is generally bounded by Market Street to the north, Baltimore Avenue to the south, 52nd Street to the east, and the border of Upper Darby along Cobbs Creek to the West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walnut–Locust station</span> Rapid transit station in Philadelphia

Walnut–Locust/Avenue of the Arts is a subway station on SEPTA's Broad Street Line in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is located between Walnut Street and Locust Street at 200 South Broad Street in the Avenue of the Arts district of Center City, Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn Center, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood of Philadelphia

Penn Center is the heart of Philadelphia's central business district. It takes its name from the nearly five million square foot office and retail complex it contains. It lies between 15th and 19th Streets, and between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Market Street. It is credited with bringing Philadelphia into the era of modern office buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1700 Market</span> High-rise building located in Philadelphia

1700 Market is a high-rise building located in the Market West region of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The building stands at 430 feet with 32 floors, and was completed in 1968. It is currently tied with Two Logan Square as the 20th-tallest building in Philadelphia. The architect of the building was Murphy Levy Wurman. 1700 Market has the distinction of being the tallest building in Philadelphia built during the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mill Creek (Philadelphia)</span> River in Pennsylvania, United States

Mill Creek rises in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; runs southeasterly to West Philadelphia, where it enters 19th-century sewer pipes; and debouches roughly five miles later in the Schuylkill River near The Woodlands Cemetery. It starts near Narberth, where its source is buried, then runs free for a mile or so before entering Philadelphia at the Overbrook station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mink Mile</span> Upscale fashion district in Toronto

Mink Mile is an upscale shopping district in the neighbourhood of Yorkville in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, along Bloor Street between Yonge Street and Avenue Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Philadelphia</span>

Philadelphia is the center of economic activity in both Pennsylvania and the four-state Delaware Valley metropolitan region of the United States. Philadelphia's close geographical and transportation connections to other large metropolitan economies along the Eastern Seaboard of the United States have been cited as offering a significant competitive advantage for business creation and entrepreneurship. Five Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in the city. As of 2021, the Philadelphia metropolitan area was estimated to produce a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of US$479 billion, an increase from the $445 billion calculated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for 2017, representing the ninth largest U.S. metropolitan economy. Philadelphia was rated by the GaWC as a 'Beta' city in its 2016 ranking of world cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schuylkill Yards</span>

Schuylkill Yards is a $3.5 billion, masterplanned development project by Brandywine Realty Trust in West Philadelphia. The project was announced in a press conference in March 2016. The project is being designed in phases. Groundbreaking occurred in late 2017, and the first piece—a public park called Drexel Square—was delivered in June 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Parks & Recreation</span>

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) is the municipal department responsible for managing parks, recreation centers, playgrounds, trails, community gardens, and historic properties in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its inventory includes more than 150 parks and 170 recreation centers and playgrounds. It became the successor to the Fairmount Park Commission and the City of Philadelphia Department of Recreation in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30th Street Station District</span>

The 30th Street Station District, also referred to as the 30th Street District, is a master planned urban development centered around 30th Street Station located in West Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The area, if approved and built, will be home to eight modern skyscrapers or high rises ranging in heights between 405 ft and1,200 ft with four other buildings under 400 feet. The property will be owned by Amtrak and will be a major addition to the City of Philadelphia. The project is expected to cost between seven and eleven billion dollars.

References

  1. DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2007, Toggle Measure Tool. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  2. Harris, Linda JK. "Philadelphia Shopping District Gets Messy Makeover.", The Philadelphia Inquirer , July 31, 2002. Accessed December 16, 2007. "Walking down the 1700 block of Walnut Street, a visitor might conclude that the city's premier shopping district has hit on hard times."
  3. Hall, Cecily. "THE WWD LIST: STREETS OF CASH; THE MOST EXPENSIVE RETAIL STREETS BY RENT PER SQUARE FOOT IN NORTH AMERICA.", Women's Wear Daily , October 13, 2005. Accessed December 16, 2007. "*12 Walnut Street, Philadelphia Rent per square foot: $90 Walnut Street is home to Rittenhouse Row..."
  4. Van Allen, Peter. "Walnut Street retail is hot, report says". Philadelphia Business Journal. Retrieved 15 November 2013.

39°57′04″N75°10′52″W / 39.951°N 75.181°W / 39.951; -75.181