Delancey Place (Philadelphia)

Delancey Place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is a series of nine mostly unconnected side streets in the Rittenhouse area of the city between 17th and 26th streets. It is known for its visual appeal and historical association with the upper class of Philadelphia society. This is especially true of the 1800 and 2000 blocks, lined with Civil War–era mansions that have changed little in appearance over the years. There are similar mansions on other streets in the Rittenhouse area (e.g., Pine, Spruce, and Locust), but many have converted to apartment buildings and those streets have become more urbanized. Delancey Place, on the other hand, is not as busy and is considered to be the most prestigious address in Philadelphia. Some notable residents have included General George Meade (no. 1836) who defeated Lee’s Confederate forces at Gettysburg, the Rosenbach brothers (nos. 2008–2010 Delancey Place) who played a central role in developing the most important collections of rare books in the United States, as well as presidents and CEOs of some of the largest companies in the city and country. The 2000 block of Delancey Place, is the city’s ‘most filmed residential block’.

Philadelphia expanded into the rural areas west of Broad Street during the 19th century, and especially during the middle decades (~1840–1870). The original grid work of streets designed by William Penn in 1683, with some minor adjustment, was already in place, but side streets were needed to accommodate houses. Delancey Place originated during this active time, being named for William Heathcote DeLancey (1797–1865), provost of the University of Pennsylvania (1828–1834) and a bishop of the Episcopal Church. The initial portion (1800 block) was called De Lancey Place. Residents refused to change the suffix (‘Place’) after the city legislated the change to ‘Delancey Street” in 1895, so the city eventually changed it back to ‘Delancey Place’ in 1941.

The 1800, 2000, and 2100 ‘Federal’ blocks comprise mostly Civil War–era houses built in the style of the earlier Federal Period (1785–1815) and are characterized by red brick facades, white marble trim, and semicircular fanlights above doorways. Most of the original houses remain today, especially on the 1800 and 2000 blocks where they are palatial in size, giving those blocks a historical atmosphere. The 1800 block opened 1853–55 followed by construction of an initial row of 9 houses (nos. 1800–1818) in 1857 and the entire block was complete and occupied by the end of 1860. The 2000 block opened in 1860 and is 25% longer than typical blocks in Philadelphia, a holdover from the early symmetrical grid having a wider street near each river. A row of 9 houses (nos. 2000–2018) listed in the National Register of Historic Places was complete and occupied by 1864. The Rosenbach Museum is located in two of these (nos. 2008–2010). After a short pause in construction for several years, the rest of the 2000 block was done by circa 1870 and included some red brick houses, especially on the north side, with brownstone trim and bracketed window hoods and thus mixing Federal and Second Empire (Victorian) styles. Overall, houses on the 1800 and 2000 blocks are similar in having four stories, but the top floors on the 2000 block (some added later) are set back with dormers, giving an illusion of 3-story houses and allowing more light on the street. Houses in the 2100 block, initially called ‘Walter Street,’ were built during 1859–1865, starting with the north side. They also have mostly Federal-style houses but are somewhat smaller and more variable, reflecting subsequent changes.

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