Logan Sqaure is an open-space park in Philadelphia that serves as a critical hub for the city. Also known as Logan Circle, it takes its name from the eponymous neighborhood and has been transformed over the decades from what was a place for public executions into a central hub of Philadelphia’s version of Paris’ Champs Elysées. In doing so, it has served as a critical connection point for the culture and economy of the city with residents and visitors.
One of the Original Five Squares
Originally called “Northwest Square” in William Penn’s 1684 plan for the city, the square was renamed in 1825 after Philadelphia statesman James Logan who served as Secretary to Penn and mayor of Philadelphia in 1722 and 1723. Those original five squares — Logan, Rittenhouse, Franklin, Washington and Centre — remain recognizable landmarks within the city even as they’ve been transformed and have driven notable changes to their surroundings.
Logan Square served as a public execution site and burial ground in the early 1800s but went through significant periods of growth from 1825 through the 1900s. The most transformative event for the space occurred when the city’s leaders followed through on a dream of building a boulevard patterned after Paris’s Champs Elysees, which would run right through Logan Square and serve as the midpoint of this grand boulevard. Construction began in 1907 with the clearing of buildings from Fairmount Park to Logan Square to help create the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
The Swann Memorial Fountain was installed in the center of Logan Square in 1924. The fountain was created as a memorial to Dr. Wilson Cary Swann, the founder and president of the Philadelphia Fountain Society, which provided sources of fresh drinking water throughout the city. Large Native American figures to symbolize the area’s major local waterways: the Delaware River (a man), the Schuylkill River (a woman) and Wissahickon Creek (a girl). During warm months, swimming in the fountain is a long-standing Philadelphia tradition.
That tradition signifies the impact Logan Square has had on the culture of the entire city which has also spurred economic activity and opportunities. These developments have enabled numerous benefits for both residents and visitors.
Cultivating and Celebrating the Identity of Philadelphia
Some of Philadelphia’s top attractions including Moore College of Art & Design, Free Library of Philadelphia and The Franklin Institute, all of which surround Logan Square. It is also within walking distance of notable Philadelphia landmarks like Love Park and Philadelphia City Hall. Logan Square also contains numerous monuments beside the Swann Memorial Fountain including the Shakespeare Memorial and the Aero Memorial. Serving as a key attraction on maps of the city, many tours start or stop with a visit to the space.
Logan Square is home to numerous restaurants, bars and shops. Locations like The Logan have used the identity of Logan Square itself to appeal to visitors while Sister Cities Park is available to host anything from children’s birthday parties to wedding receptions to corporate team-building exercises.
Pulling together so many notable cultural icons and economic options has enabled it to host events large and small. In 2016, Logan Square it was the starting location for the Women’s March on Philadelphia while Pope John Paul II celebrated mass in the space in 1979. In 2017, it hosted the NFL Draft. It also hosts major annual events such as Wawa Welcome America, July 4th festivities, Jay-Z’s Made In America concert and the nation’s oldest Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981, Logan Square was always intended to be a central route of Philadelphia that could serve as its lifeblood in various capacities. That transformation began in the 1920s, but efforts to see it fully realized are ongoing and have come to signify what it can mean for a space to create a legacy for an entire city.
Transforming the City
The numerous activities and attractions at Logan Square have enabled it to become an important hub that attracts both residents and visitors. The transformation of the space from a place for burial and execution into one that contains businesses, luxury residential skyscrapers, historic homes, green spaces, and museums is one that’s taken place over decades, but the process to do so showcases what it can mean for a monuments to redefine the identity of an entire neighborhood and city.
