Philadelphia Trip Overview
This Walking Tour will also take you by and into some of Philadelphia’s most prominent buildings. The buildings in this area are mostly from the mid-1800’s through the present. Styles range from Beaux Arts, to Chicago and International style. We also wil see the newest and tallest buildings in Center City.
Additional Info
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Starts: Philadelphia, United States
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Philadelphia Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
This Walking Tour will also take you by and into some of Philadelphia’s most prominent buildings. The buildings in this area are mostly from the mid-1800’s through the present. Styles range from Beaux Arts, to Chicago and International style. We also wil see the newest and tallest buildings in Center City.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch, Philadelphia, PA 19107
One of the last old time food halls in the US. Created in the 1890’s, Reading Terminal Market has undergone many changes over the years but remains a remarkable example of shopping from an earlier era.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
First International Style Building in the U.S., PSFS was created during the depression as a collaborative design between a local architect and a Swiss one using principles developed by the Bauhaus and European architects.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102-1510
The oldest art school in the US and a magnificent example of Frank Furness’ architecture, this is one of his remaining High Victorian Gothic masterpieces. It opened just in time for the Centennial Exposition of 1876.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Masonic Temple, 1 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19107-2520
View the exterior of this magnificent structure created just after the end of the Civil War in Romanesque or Norman Castle style. If you have time, reserve a tour of the interior rooms which are spectacular.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: City Hall Visitor Center, 1 Penn Square Room 121, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Walk around this great 2nd Empire Baroque Building, the largest municipal building in the U.S. It is the tallest masonry bearing wall building in the world, and the statue of William Penn on the tower is the tallest on any building in the world.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Macy’s Philadelphia, 1300 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3742
View the Market Street National Bank’s Art Deco facade across the Street and then enter the John Wanamaker Building. We will see the Grand Court and its grand organ.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: The Ritz-Carlton, Philadelphia, 10 Ave Of The Arts, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
See the former Girard Bank Building then the Land Title Building across Chestnut Street. The Bank was originally designed by Frank Furness in his High Victorian Gothic style, but that was rejected. The Land Title building is the first in the city by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham who said:”Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men`s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work…”
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: The Union League of Philadelphia, 140 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
Great early example of 2nd empire baroque style and one of the only structures built in Philadelphia during the Civil War. The club was created to support the Union troops.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: The Bellevue Hotel – In the Unbound Collection by Hyatt, 200 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
Once the grandest hotel in America designed by George Hewitt, once a partner with Frank Furness. It is Beaux Arts stylistically with a French chateau look at the top.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Academy of Music, 232 S Broad St # 46, Philadelphia, PA 19102-3816
Original home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Academy of Music is based on La Scala in Milan and was originally an opera house. The Italianate façade was to be in marble, but brick and brownstone were substituted to save on the cost.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: The Drexel Building, 1435 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
Great copy of the Strozzi Palace in Florence. Designed originally for Anthony Drexel’s financial company, the exterior retains all the trimmings of Renaissance palazzos.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Shops at Liberty Place, 1625 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19103-4206
Two towers that broke the 548′ height barrier. There had been a gentleman’s agreement to build no higher than the City Hall statue of William Penn, but that changed in the 1980’s with these two buildings, opening the way for a more modern skyline.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Comcast Center, 1701 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2838
1st and 2nd tallest buildings in Philadelphia. Comcast Center is a sleek combination of mirror and clear glass rising in a tapered form while the Comcast Innovation Center has 3 story groupings with a zig-zag pattern on the outside and a 10 story hotel at the top.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Penn Center/Suburban Station, 1600 JFK Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2852
Art Deco headquarters of the Pennsylvania Railroad, this building was created in the 1930’s to replace Frank Furness’ High Victorian Gothic terminal across from City Hall. The style was intended to represent the sleekness and speed of modern trains.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Love Park, John F. Kennedy Blvd and North 15th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Tour ends at the Love sculpture in what is referred to as Love Park. This park has now been redesigned several times and offers a variety of activities depending on the time of year, as well as a grand view up the Ben Franklin Parkway to the Art Museum.
Duration: 5 minutes