Society Hill Historic District

Society Hill is the oldest part of Philadelphia, laid out in 1682 by surveyor Thomas Holme for William Penn. The name comes from the Free Society of Traders, which bought 20,000 acres from Penn. The district covers about 150 acres and contains more than 575 certified eighteenth and nineteenth century commercial, residential and religious buildings. Typical early houses are red brick in Flemish bond with wooden trim and marble or moulded brick belt courses. Landmarks include Head House and New Market, St. Peter's Church, Old St. Mary's, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, the Powel House and the Hill-Physick House. Nearly all buildings were restored or rehabilitated under the Washington Square East Redevelopment Project, the first large-scale urban renewal effort to plan for preservation. The project removed a wholesale produce market and added three apartment towers designed by I. M. Pei and many contemporary town houses. The district was recognized for how successfully new construction was related to the old.