Walnut Street (Philadelphia)

Walnut Street is located in downtown Philadelphia and extends from the city's Delaware River waterfront through Center City and West Philadelphia. Walnut Street has been characterized as "the city's premier shopping district".[2] 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, and is home to several "upscale dining, retail and cultural" establishments.[3] In 2013 rents had risen 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]

Rittenhouse Square, towards 19th and Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Not to be confused with Walnut Hill, Philadelphia.
Walnut Street
An old postcard of Rittenhouse Square looking towards 19th and Walnut Streets
Maintained byPennDOT and City of Philadelphia
Length5.57 mi[1] (8.96 km)
Component
highways		SR 3006 from Front Street to City Hall
PA 3 westbound between 38th and Cobbs Creek Parkway in Philadelphia
LocationPhiladelphia
West end PA 3 (Cobbs Creek Parkway) in Cobbs Creek
Major
junctions		 US 13 / PA 3 (38th Street) in University City
I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) in University City
PA 611 (Broad Street) in Center CityInterstate
East endFront Street in Penn's Landing
NorthChestnut Street
SouthLocust Street
Walnut Street in Philadelphia
1616 Building

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 the Cobbs Creek Parkway.

Route description
Cobbs Creek at end of Walnut Street

It 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 from east

The 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 along Walnut Street are Independence National Historical Park and Society Hill on the east, followed by 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 (also known as Center City West Commercial Historic District), 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 in the University City section of West Philadelphia. At 47th Street is the site of the old West Philadelphia High School. The Paul Robeson House sits at the corner of 50th and Walnut.

The old West Philadelphia High School at 47th Street

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

See also

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.

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