The Perfect Square: A History of Rittenhouse Square
| Date: 28 April 2011, 03:35
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The Perfect Square: A History of Rittenhouse Square
By Nancy M. Heinzen
* Publisher: 2009 University Press
* Number Of Pages: 224
* Publication Date: 2009-09-28
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 1592139884
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9781592139880
Product Description:
Great cities and neighborhoods rise and fall, yet Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia has seized the imagination and envy of social climbers, urban planners, and novelists alike for two centuries. In "The Perfect Square", Nancy Heinzen - a resident of Rittenhouse Square for over 40 years and an activist committed to its preservation - provides the first full-length social history of this public urban space. One of the five squares William Penn established when he founded the city, the southwest-situated Rittenhouse Square has transformed from a marshy plot surrounded by brickyards and workers' shanties into the epicenter of Philadelphia high society it is today. A keystone of center city Philadelphia, it was once home to great dynasties, elegant mansions and grand dames of the Victorian era. Today it is lined with million-dollar high-rise condominiums, where nouveau-riche entrepreneurs and descendants of ethnic immigrants live side-by-side. Heinzen lovingly chronicles this urban space's development and growth, illustrating that not only is Rittenhouse Square unique, but so is the combination of human events and relationships that have created and sustained it. Painstakingly researched and generously illustrated with black-and-white photos from public archives, "The Perfect Square" will appeal to lay readers interested in history, to professional historians and urban planners, and to the thousands of new residents who have settled on or near Rittenhouse Square since the dawn of the 21st century.
Summary: It gets my vote for the Perfect Square!
Rating: 5
Of all that has been written about Philadelphia, nothing perhaps best defines the city than Rittenhouse Square which is it's best kept secret. Rittenhouse Square is west of the downtown and Independence Hall. It's history is just as important as when the Declaration of Independence was first signed. It is in Rittenhouse Square where the foundation of American society developed and nurtured the country and the city itself. Rittenhouse Square Park is not as glamourous or well-known as New York's Central Park or San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. It's quite small in comparison and it's because it's more of a meeting ground for couples, families, and tourists. Where in Rittenhouse Square Park, you can listen to music and watch people in action. It's Rittenhouse Square Park where the scene is set for so much history of the past, present, and the future. Rittenhouse Square is the perfect square and there is no argument where author, Nancy M. Heinzen, has done an impeccable job in the history and adapting it to a historical book about a place that is often overlooked by other American landmarks.
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