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Logan Circle (Philadelphia)
Encyclopedia
Logan Circle, also known as Logan Square, is an open-space park in Center City
Philadelphia's northwest quadrant and one of the five original planned squares laid out on the city grid
. The circle itself exists within the original bounds of the square; the names Logan Square and Logan Circle are used interchangeably when referring to the park. The park is the focal point of the eponymous neighborhood
.
Originally called "Northwest Square," the park had a somewhat gruesome history as a site of public executions and burial plots until the early Nineteenth Century. In 1825, it was renamed Logan Square after Philadelphia statesman James Logan
.
In June 1864, temporary buildings were built on the square and it was the site of the Great Sanitary Fair, a 2-week exposition that raised US$1,046,859 to buy medicine and bandages for Union troops during the American Civil War
. President Abraham Lincoln visited the fair.
Although the original bounds of the square—18th Street to the east, 20th Street to the west, Race Street to the south and Vine Street to the north—are still intact, the park today is distinguished by its circle, constructed in the 1920s as a segment of Benjamin Franklin Parkway
. It was designed by Jacques Gréber
, a French landscape architect who converted Logan Square into a circle similar to the oval of the Place de la Concorde
in Paris
. Philadelphia even modeled its Free Library
and Family Court Building after the twin buildings of the Hôtel de Crillon
.
Among the sites in its immediate vicinity are the Swann Memorial Fountain
at the center of the circle, Free Library of Philadelphia
, the Academy of Natural Sciences
, the Franklin Institute
, Moore College of Art and Design
, and the Roman Catholic Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul
.
trees that featured prominently around the fountain were removed. City planners had determined that they had reached the end of their life span and had become an eyesore. They will be replaced with similar trees as part of a larger plan to improve the space.
jump into the fountain. The event is the subject of much local media coverage throughout Philadelphia.
Center City, Philadelphia
Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...
Philadelphia's northwest quadrant and one of the five original planned squares laid out on the city grid
Grid plan
The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...
. The circle itself exists within the original bounds of the square; the names Logan Square and Logan Circle are used interchangeably when referring to the park. The park is the focal point of the eponymous neighborhood
Logan Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Logan Square is a name given to the area in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that lies north of Market Street, south of Spring Garden Street, west of Broad Street, and east of the Schuylkill River. This contains the Franklintown neighborhood. It also contains Penn Center and much of Philadelphia's...
.
History
James Logan (statesman)
James Logan , a statesman and scholar, was born in Lurgan, County Armagh, Ireland of Scottish descent and Quaker parentage. In 1689, the Logan family moved to Bristol, England where, in 1693, James replaced his father as schoolmaster...
.
In June 1864, temporary buildings were built on the square and it was the site of the Great Sanitary Fair, a 2-week exposition that raised US$1,046,859 to buy medicine and bandages for Union troops during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. President Abraham Lincoln visited the fair.
Although the original bounds of the square—18th Street to the east, 20th Street to the west, Race Street to the south and Vine Street to the north—are still intact, the park today is distinguished by its circle, constructed in the 1920s as a segment of Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a scenic boulevard that runs through the cultural heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Named for favorite son Benjamin Franklin, the mile-long Parkway cuts diagonally across the grid plan pattern of Center City's Northwest quadrant...
. It was designed by Jacques Gréber
Jacques Gréber
Jacques-Henri-Auguste Gréber was a French architect specializing in landscape architecture and urban design. He was a strong proponent of the Beaux-Arts style and a contributor to the City Beautiful movement, particularly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Ottawa, Ontario.-Early life and...
, a French landscape architect who converted Logan Square into a circle similar to the oval of the Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.- History :...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Philadelphia even modeled its Free Library
Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:History of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Initiated by the efforts of Dr...
and Family Court Building after the twin buildings of the Hôtel de Crillon
Hôtel de Crillon
The Hôtel de Crillon in Paris is one of the oldest luxury hotels in the world. The hotel is located at the foot of the Champs-Élysées and is one of two identical stone palaces on the Place de la Concorde. The Crillon has 103 guest rooms and 44 suites...
.
Among the sites in its immediate vicinity are the Swann Memorial Fountain
Swann Memorial Fountain
The Swann Memorial Fountain is a fountain sculpture located in the center of Logan Circle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States....
at the center of the circle, Free Library of Philadelphia
Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:History of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Initiated by the efforts of Dr...
, the Academy of Natural Sciences
Academy of Natural Sciences
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, formerly Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, is the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the New World...
, the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
, Moore College of Art and Design
Moore College of Art and Design
Moore College of Art & Design educates students for careers in the visual arts. Moore is an independent college of art and design. Located in the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Moore is the first and only women's visual arts college in the nation, and one of only two in the world...
, and the Roman Catholic Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul
Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul
The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, head church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is located at 18th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on the east side of Logan Square in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania and listed on...
.
Recent redevelopment
In early 2005 efforts were begun to clean up and redevelop the park to make it more accessible to pedestrians. Most noticeably the large paulowniaPaulownia
Paulownia is a genus of from 6 to 17 species of plants in the monogeneric family Paulowniaceae, related to and sometimes included in the Scrophulariaceae. They are native to much of China, south to northern Laos and Vietnam, and long cultivated elsewhere in eastern Asia, notably in Japan and Korea...
trees that featured prominently around the fountain were removed. City planners had determined that they had reached the end of their life span and had become an eyesore. They will be replaced with similar trees as part of a larger plan to improve the space.
Traditions
To commemorate the end of every school year since the 1960s, the newly appointed Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors of J. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High SchoolJ. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School
John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School is a Roman Catholic high school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is an all girls high school.-History:...
jump into the fountain. The event is the subject of much local media coverage throughout Philadelphia.