Rittenhouse Square Park

Why Visit

Rittenhouse Square presents a relaxing spot where visitors and locals gather for picnics, sun-bathing, or just to take a stroll amid the trees, manicured lawns and sculptures.

Named for astronomer and clockmaker David Rittenhouse, the family-friendly park remains one of the most lovely and peaceful spots in which to paint, read, relax on a park bench or catch-up with friends.

The main walkways are diagonal, beginning at the corners and meeting at a central oval.

The plaza, which contains a large planter bed and a reflecting pool, is surrounded by a balustrade and ringed by a circular walk.

Classical urns, many bearing relief figures of ancient Greeks, rest on pedestals at the entrances and elsewhere throughout the square. Ornamental lamp posts contribute to an air of old-fashioned gentility.

Rittenhouse Square is one of Center City's most popular outdoor relaxing spots.   — Photo by M. Fischetti for Visit Philadelphia

Must-See

The plaza, which contains a large planter bed and a reflecting pool, is surrounded by a balustrade and ringed by a circular walk.

Several of the city’s best-loved outdoor sculptures reside in Rittenhouse Square. The dramatic Lion Crushing a Serpent by the French Romantic sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye sits in the central plaza.

Originally created in 1832, the work is Barye’s allegory of the French Revolution of 1830, symbolizing the power of good (the lion) conquering evil (the serpent).

This bronze cast dates back to about 1890.

At the other end of the central plaza, Paul Manship’s Duck Girl of 1911, a lyrical bronze of a young girl carrying a duck under one arm, resides within the reflecting pool.

A favorite of the children is Albert Laessle’s Billy, a two-foot-high bronze billy goat in a small plaza halfway down the southwest walk.

Billy’s head, horns and spine have been worn to a shiny gold color after being touched by countless small admirers.

In a similar plaza in the northeast walkway stands the Evelyn Taylor Price Memorial Sundial, a sculpture of two cheerful, naked children who hold aloft a sundial in the form of a giant sunflower head.

Created by Philadelphia artist Beatrice Fenton, the sundial memorializes a woman who served as the president of the Rittenhouse Square Improvement Association and Rittenhouse Square Flower Association.

In the flower bed between the sundial and the central plaza visitors can see Cornelia Van A. Chapin’s Giant Frog, a large and sleek granite amphibian. Continuing the animal theme, two small stone dogs, added in 1988, perch on the balustrades at the southwest corner entrance.

Events & More

Rittenhouse Square hosts dozens of events throughout the year, including some of the city’s most popular happenings.

Typically held in beginning of May, the blockbuster Rittenhouse Square Spring Festival attracts tens of thousands for a celebration of the season complete with food, shopping, and a showcase of live entertainment.

In the fall, hundreds of artists from around the country “Circle the Square” during the traditional Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show.

During the holidays, hundreds of celebrants pack the park for the official start of the season during the Rittenhouse Square Christmas Tree Lighting, featuring more than 5,000 brilliant holiday lights.

Rittenhouse Square is one of five original squares planned by city founder William Penn.   — Photo by R. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia