Washington Square: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Independence National Historical Park, National Park Service

Jennifer, Hanna; Little, Kelsey; Killion, Jeff

Washington Square is part of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in 1948, the park was created to protect the historic places associated with the birth of the American republic, standing as icons of freedom and democratic ideals for people around the world. The park spans more than 51 acres within the City of Philadelphia, preserving and interpreting a rich collection of the country’s Colonial, Revolutionary, and Federal period heritage. Washington Square has been part of Independence National Historical Park since 2005 when the city of Philadelphia donated the land title and an easement to the National Park Service. Washington Square, first known as Southeast Square, was part of a group of five squares initially laid out by William Penn and his surveyor-general Thomas Holme in 1682 when they established the street grid for Philadelphia. Of the original five squares, Washington Square is the only one to receive a patent specifically for burials. Until 1794 the square functioned as a potter’s field, as well as the site for burials associated with the Revolutionary War and for victims of the yellow fever epidemic. These numerous burials represent a significant archeological resource within Washington Square. The existing design characteristics and features date primarily to the 1950s redesign of the urban square but also reflect elements of the Bridgeport (1816), Dixey (1881), and Olmsted Brothers (1915) designs implemented during the square’s more than 300-year history. Washington Square comprises an entire city block, 6.4 acres in size, bordered by Walnut Street (north), South Sixth Street (east), South Washington Square (south), and West Washington Square (west). South Seventh Street cuts diagonally through the northwest corner of the square. The landscape today reflects the layout of the Olmsted Brothers firm (1915) with improvements made by G. Edwin Brumbaugh with the addition of the perimeter wall (1956) and the Memorial to the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier, including the central fountain and sarcophagus containing the remains of a Revolutionary War soldier (1957), as well as rehabilitation work completed 1997-2004. Brick sidewalks surround the square and are separated from the interior by an approximately four-foot-high Colonial Revival-style brick wall. The brick sidewalks transition to bluestone pavement at the square’s four primary corner entrances, from which diagonal bluestone walkways lead to a central circular plaza and fountain encircled by planting beds. The orthogonal and diagonal walkways define a series of grass panels informally planted with mature specimen trees that provide ample summertime shade. Wooden benches and Colonial Revival-style lights are located along the walks. The Memorial to the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier forms a rectangular courtyard west of the central plaza, with fourteen flagpoles representing the original colonies and the nation’s first flag. A statue of George Washington stands in front of an inscribed wall, while an eternal flame rises from the pavement in front of the statue. Numerous small memorials and interpretive signs are scattered along the existing paths, and two small buildings, formerly guard houses, lie on the diagonal paths near the northwest and southeast corners. The square is popular with residents, dog walkers, office workers, and tourists. The Washington Square Cultural Landscape Inventory (CLI) documents the landscape’s location, size, physical development, landscape characteristics, character-defining features, and condition. The information contained in the CLI is compiled from primary and secondary sources and through onsite surveys of the landscape. The CLI includes historic maps, drawings, and images; photographs of existing conditions; and a site plan that indicates major features. The CLI documents the existing condition of park landscape resources and identifies impacts, threats, and measures to stabilize condition. This inventory was completed as part of a national effort to document all cultural landscapes in the national park system. The National Park Service Cultural Landscapes Inventory (CLI) includes landscapes that are listed, or eligible for listing, on the National Register of Historic Places, or are otherwise managed as cultural resources, which the National Park Service has, or plans to acquire, legal interest. The completed inventories are included in the Servicewide Cultural Resources Information System (CRIS-CL) database.

Washington Square: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Independence National Historical Park, National Park Service

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