National Register Listings in
Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania

1616 Building 1900 Rittenhouse Square Apartments 26th District Police and Patrol Station 32nd St. and Lancaster Ave. Philadelphia Armory Academy of Music Adams Avenue Bridge in Philadelphia Adamson, William, School Adelphi School Ajax Metal Company Plant Albion Carpet Mill Alcorn, James, School Alden Park Manor Alfred Newton Richards Medical Research Laboratories and David Goddard Laboratories Buildings Allen, Ethan, School Amalgamated Center American Baptist Publication Society American Philosophical Society Hall American Railway Express Company Garage Anderson, Marian, House Anglecot, The Arch Street Friends Meeting House Arch Street Opera House Arch Street Presbyterian Church Athenaeum of Philadelphia Audenried, Charles Y., Junior High School Awbury Historic District Axe, William W., School Bache, Alexander Dallas, School Bair, Oliver, H., Funeral Home Baird, Matthew, Mansion Baptist Institute for Christian Workers BARNEGAT (lightship) Bartlett School Barton, Clara, School Bartram, John, High School Bartram, John, House Beatty's Mills Factory Building Beeber, Dimner, Junior High School Beggarstown School Belgravia Hotel Bell Telephone Company Building Bell Telephone Exchange Building Bell, John C., House Bellevue Stratford Hotel Belmont Avenue Bridge in Philadelphia Belmont School Benjamin Franklin Hotel Bergdoll Mansion Bergdoll, Louis, House Bethel Burial Ground Biberman Building Billmeyer, Daniel, House Billmeyer, Michael, House Birney, Gen. David B., School Bishop Mackay-Smith House Blankenburg, Reudolph, School Board of Education Building Boat House Row Boekel Building Bok, Edward, Vocational School Boone, Daniel, School Bregy, F. Amadee, School Breslyn Apartments Brewerytown Historic District Bridesburg School Broad Street Historic District Brooks, George L., School Brown, Joseph H., School Brownhill and Kramer Hosiery Mill Budd, Edward G., Manufacturing Company Buick Motor Company Building Burk Brothers and Company Butterworth, H.W. and Sons Company Building Callowhill Industrial Historic District Carl Mackley Houses Carnell, Laura H., School Carpenters' Hall Carroll, Charles, Public School Cassidy, Lewis C., School Catharine, Joseph W., School Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul Centennial National Bank Center City West Commercial Historic District Center City West Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase) Central High School Chamounix Chandler, George, School Chateau Crillon Apartment House Chestnut Hill Historic District Childs, George W., School Christ Church Christ Church Burial Ground Church of St. James the Less Church of the Holy Trinity City Line Avenue Bridge City Park Brewery Clarkson-Watson House Class and Nachod Brewery Cliffs, The Clinton Street Historic District Cliveden (Chew House) Cobbs Creek Automobile Suburb Historic District College Hall, University Of Pennsylvania College of Physicians of Philadelphia Building Colonial Germantown Historic District Colonial Germantown Historic District (Boundary Increase) Coltrane, John, House Comly, Watson, School Commandant's Quarters Compton and Bloomfield Conwell, Russell H., School Conyngham-Hacker House Cooke, Jay, Junior High School Cope, Edward Drinker, House Creighton, Thomas, School Crossan, Kennedy, School Crown Can Company Building Darrah, Lydia, School Delaware Station of the Philadelphia Electric Company, The Delmar Apartments Deshler-Morris House Disston, Hamilton, School Disston, Mary, School Dobbins, Murrell, Vocational School Dobson Mills Dobson, James, School Drake Hotel Drexel and Company Building Drexel Development Historic District Drexel, Francis M., School Drinker's Court Dropsie University Complex Drueding Brothers Company Building Druim Moir Historic District Dunbar, Paul Lawrence, School Dunlap, Thomas, School Durham, Thomas, School Eakins, Thomas, House East Center City Commercial Historic District Eastern State Penitentiary Edmunds, Henry R., School Edward Corner Marine Merchandise Warehouse Elfreth's Alley Historic District Elk's Lodge BPOE No. 2 Elverson, James, Jr., School Emlen, Eleanor Cope, School of Practice Equitable Trust Building Estey Hall Eyre, Wilson, House Fair Hill Burial Ground Fairmount Avenue Historic District Fairmount Park Fairmount Water Works Farragut, David, School Fayette School Federal Street School Fell, D. Newlin, School Feltonville School No. 2 Ferguson, Joseph C., School Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company Building Fidelity-Philadelphia Trust Company Building Finletter, Thomas K., School First Bank of the United States First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Philadelphia, Northeast Branch First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry Armory First Unitarian Church Fisher's Lane Fitler School Fitzsimons, Thomas, Junior High School Fleischer, Helen, Vocational School Fleisher, Samuel S., Art Memorial Forrest, Edwin, House Forrest, Edwin, School Fort Mifflin Fort Mifflin Hospital Founder's Hall, Girard College Frank, Henry S., Memorial Synagogue Frankford Arsenal Frankford Avenue Bridge Frankford Avenue Bridge Franklin Carpet Mill Franklin Hose Company No. 28 Franklin Institute Franklin Institute Science Museum Franklin Square Franklin, Benjamin, School Frazier's, Joe, Gym Free Quaker Meetinghouse Friends Hospital Friends Housing Cooperative Fulton, Robert, School Furness Library Furness, Horace, Junior High School Garden Court Historic District Garden Court Historic District (Boundary Increase) General Electric Switchgear Plant George, Henry, Birthplace German Society of Pennsylvania Germantown Cricket Club Germantown Grammar School Germantown Grammar School (Boundary Increase) Germantown Jewish Centre Germantown Junction Station Gillespie, Elizabeth Duane, Junior High School Girard Avenue Historic District Girard Avenue West Historic District Girard College Complex Girard Group Glen Foerd at Torresdale Globe Ticket Company Building Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church National Historic Site Goodman Brothers and Hinlein Company Gotham Silk Hosiery Company Grace Church, Mt. Airy Graham and Laird, Schober and Mitchell Factories Gratz, Simon, High School Graver's Lane Station Grays Road Recreation Center Green Tree Tavern Greenbelt Knoll Historic District Grumblethorpe Grumblethorpe Tenant House Haddington Historic District Haines, Hanson, House Hajoca Corporation Headquarters and Showroom Hamilton Family Estate Hanna, William B., School Happy Hollow Recreation Center Harding, Warren G., Junior High School Harper, Frances Ellen Watkins, House Harrington Machine Shop Harris Building Harrison, William H., School Hatfield House Hawthorne, Nathaniel, School Head House Square Henry Whitaker’s Sons’ Mill Henry, Charles Wolcott, School Heywood Chair Factory Hill-Physick House Hockley Row Hogue, Robert M., House Holman, A. J., and Company Holme Avenue Bridge Holmes Junior High School Hopkinson, Francis, School Horn, George L., School Hotel Pennsylvania Houses at 1907-1951 N. 32nd St. Houses at 2000-2018 Delancey Street Houston, Henry H., School Howe, Julia Ward, School Howell and Brothers Paper Hangings Manufactory Howell House Independence National Historical Park Institute for Colored Youth Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital Insurance Company of North America Building Integrity Title Insurance, Trust and Safe Deposit Company International Harvester Company Building-Philadelphia Branch House Irish, Nathaniel, House Ivy Lodge Jayne, Horace, House Jefferson, Thomas, School Jenks, John Story, School Johnson, John, House Jones, John Paul, Junior High School Juvenile and Domestic Branches of the Municipal Court Kahn, Harry C. and Son, Warehouse Kensington Branch of the Philadelphia YWCA Kensington High School for Girls Key, Francis Scott, School Kinsey, John L., School Kirkbride, Eliza Butler, School Knowlton La Blanche Apartments Land Title Building Landreth, David, School Larkin-Belber Building Laurel Hill Cemetery Lawndale School Lea, Henry C., School of Practice Leidy, Dr. Joseph, House Lesley, J. Peter, House Levering, William, School Lits Department Store Logan Demonstration School Logan Square Longfellow, Henry, School Lorraine Apartments Lowell, James Russell, School Lower North Philadelphia Speculative Housing Historic District Ludlow, James R., School Malvern Hall Manayunk Main Street Historic District Mann, William, School Marine Barracks Marine Corps Depot of Supplies, Schuykill Warehouse Marine Corps Supply Activity Marshall, John, School Martin Orthopedic School Martin, James, School Mask and Wig Club of the University of Pennsylvania Masonic Temple Maxwell, Ebenezer, House Mayfair House McCallum Manor McClure, Alexander K., School McDaniel, Delaplaine, School McDowell Memorial Presbyterian Church McIlvain, Francis, House Meade, George, School Mechanicsville School Mecky, A., Company Building Meehan, Thomas, School Memorial Hall Mennonite Meetinghouse Merchants' Exchange Building Meredith, William M., School Metropolitan Opera House Middishade Clothing Factory Mifflin School Mifflin, Thomas, School Mikveh Israel Cemetery Mill-Rae Mitchell, S. Weir, School Monastery, The Monte Vista Moore, Capt. Thomas, House Moore, Clarence B., House Morrison, Andrew J., School Most Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church, Rectory and Parochial School Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church Mount Pleasant Mt. Airy Station Muhlenberg School Muhr, Simon, Work Training School Mulford Building Musical Fund Hall N. Snellenburg Company Department Store Warehouse National Bank of North Philadelphia Nebinger, George W., School Neill-Mauran House New Century Guild New Market New York Mutual Life Insurance Company Building Nichols, Jeremiah, School North Broad Street Mansion District North Broad Street Station, Reading Company Northeast Manual Training School Northern Liberties Historic District Northern National Bank Northern Saving Fund and Safe Deposit Company Nugent Home for Baptists Oakley, Violet, Studio Oaks Cloister Ogontz Hall Old City Historic District Old Federal Reserve Bank Old Germantown Academy And Headmasters' Houses Olney Elementary School Olney High School Ortlieb, Henry F., Company Bottling House Overbrook Farms Overbrook Gardens Apartments Overbrook High School Overbrook School Packard Motor Corporation Building Park Towne Place Parkside Historic District Paterson, John M., School Peale, Charles Willson, House Peirce, William S., School Penn Towers Penn Treaty Junior High School Penn Wynn House Penn, William, High School for Girls Pennell, Joseph, School Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Pennsylvania Hospital Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf and Dumb Pennsylvania Railroad Freight Building Pennsylvania Railroad Office Building Pennsylvania State Office Building Pennypacker, Samuel W., School Peter Woll and Sons Factory Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia College of Art Philadelphia College of Art (Boundary Increase) Philadelphia Contributionship Philadelphia High School for Girls Philadelphia National Cemetery Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Historic District Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot Philadelphia Racquet Club Philadelphia Savings Fund Society Building Philadelphia School of Design for Women Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy Philadelphia Stock Exchange Philadelphia Wholesales Drug Company Building Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Freight Shed Physicians and Dentists Building Pinehurst Apartments Pitcairn Building Plays and Players Plaza Apartments Poe, Edgar Allan, House, National Historic Site Poe, Edgar Allen, School Portico Row Poth and Schmidt Development Houses Poth, Frederick A., Houses, Powelton Historic District Powelton, The Powers, Thomas, School Presser Home for Retired Music Teachers Princeton Club Progress Lighting Manufacturing Company Protestant Episcopal Church of the Saviour Provident Mutual Insurance Company Quaker City Dye Works Race Street Friends Meetinghouse Rafsnyder-Welsh House Ralston, Robert, School Ramcat Historic District Ramsey, J. Sylvester, School Randolph House Read, Thomas Buchanan, School Reading Company Grain Elevator Reading Terminal and Trainshed Regent-Rennoc Court Reynolds, Gen. John F., School Reynolds-Morris House Richmond School Ridge Avenue Bridge in Philadelphia Ridge Avenue Farmers' Market Ringgold Place Rittenhouse Historic District Rittenhouse Historic District (Boundary Increase) Rittenhouse Square RittenhouseTown Historic District Roberts-Quay House Robeson, Paul, House Rodeph Shalom Synagogue Rohm and Haas Corporate Headquarters Roosevelt, Theodore, Junior High School Rowen, William, School Royal Theater Ruan, John, House Ryerss Mansion Sansom Row Schaeffer, Charles, School Scherer, Frank C., Wagon Works Schoettle, Edwin J., Company Building Second Bank of the United States Seymour, Edward B., House Sharpless, William C., House Sharswood, George, School Shaw, Anna Howard, Junior High School Shedwick, John, Development Houses Sheridan, Philip H., School Shoemaker, William, Junior High School Smaltz Building Smedley, Franklin, School Smith, Walter George, School Smyser and English Pharmacy Snellenburg's Clothing Factory Social Service Building Society Hill Historic District Solomon House South Front Street Historic District South, George W., Memorial Protestant Episcopal Church of the Advocate Southwark District Southwark School Special Troops Armory Spring Garden District Spring Garden District (Boundary Increase) Spring Garden School No. 1 Spring Garden School No. 2 SS UNITED STATES (Steamship) St. Anthony de Padua Parish School St. Anthony Hall House St. Augustine's Catholic Church St. Clement's Protestant Episcopal Church St. Gabriel’s Roman Catholic Church Complex St. George's Methodist Church St. James Hotel St. John's Church St. Joseph's House for Homeless Industrious Boys St. Mark's Episcopal Church St. Peter's Church St. Peter's Episcopal Church of Germantown St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Stanton, Edwin M., School Stanton, M. Hall, Public School Steel Heddle Manufacturing Company Complex Stenton Stevens, Thaddeus, School of Observation Stewart, John, Houses Strawbridge and Clothier Department Store Warehouse Strickland, William, Row Suburban Station Building Suffolk Manor Apartments Sullivan, James J., School Sully, Thomas, Residence Sulzberger, Mayer, Junior High School Sun Oil Building Sykes Brothers Yarn Mill (Additional Documentation) Tacony Disston Community Development Historic District Tacony Music Hall Tanner, Henry O., House Tasty Baking Company Building Taylor, Bayard, School Terminal Commerce Building Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial The Elverson Building Thirtieth Street Station Thirty-third Street Bridge in Philadelphia Thomas Mill Covered Bridge Thomas, George C., Junior High School Tilden, William J., Junior High School Times Finishing Works Tindley Temple United Methodist Church Touraine, The Tulpehocken Station Historic District U.S. Mint Building at Philadelphia U.S. Naval Home U.S.S. OLYMPIA Union League of Philadelphia Union Methodist Episcopal Church United States Custom House United States Post Office-Main Branch University Avenue Bridge University of Pennsylvania Campus Historic District Upper Roxborough Historic District Upper Roxborough Historic District (Boundary Increase) Upsala Uptown Theater and Office Building US Court House and Post Office Building USS BECUNA (SS-319) Vare, Abigail, School Vare, Edwin H., Junior High School Vaux, Roberts, Junior High School Wagner Free Institute of Science Wagner, Gen. Louis, Junior High School Walnut Park Plaza Hotel Walnut Street Theatre Walnut-Chancellor Historic District Walton, Rudolph, School Wanamaker, John, Store Warburton House Warwick, The Washington Avenue Historic District Washington Square Washington Square West Historic District Washington, George, School Watson, Sally, House Waverly Garage Wayne Junction Historic District Wayne, Anthony, School WCAU Studios Wesley AME Zion Church Wesley Building West Diamond Street Townhouse Historic District West Philadelphia High School West Philadelphia Passenger Railway Company Carhouse West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District WFIL Studio Wharton Street Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church and Sunday School Whittier, John Greenleaf, School Widow Maloby's Tavern Wilde, John and Brother, Inc. Willard, Francis E., School William Brown Company Hosiery Mill Wills Hospital Wilmot, David, School Wilson, James, Public School Wilson, Woodrow, Junior High School Wissahickon Wissahickon Inn Wissahickon Memorial Bridge Wister, Mary Channing, School Witherspoon Building Wolf, George, School Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania Woodford Woodland Terrace Woodlands, The Wright, Richardson L., School Wyck House Wynnestay Wyoming Central Office of the Bell Telephone Company YMCA of Germantown Yorktown Historic District Young Men's Christian Association Young, Smyth, Field Company Building
Pennsylvania was home to the first all-volunteer firefighting company in America, which was established in Philadelphia in 1736.
Philadelphia County, located in the southeastern part of Pennsylvania, has a rich and diverse history that spans more than three centuries. Its history can be traced back to the late 17th century when William Penn founded the city of Philadelphia in 1682 as the capital of the Pennsylvania Colony. The area, originally inhabited by indigenous Lenape people, quickly grew into a major center for trade, commerce, and governance.

During the 18th century, Philadelphia became a hotbed of political activity and played a significant role in the American Revolution. It was in Philadelphia that the Second Continental Congress met and adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The city also served as the temporary capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800, while Washington, D.C., was under construction.

In the 19th century, Philadelphia County experienced significant industrial growth, becoming a major center for manufacturing and transportation. The county’s location along the Delaware River made it an ideal hub for the shipping and textile industries. Immigrants from various countries, including Ireland, Italy, and Germany, flocked to Philadelphia in search of employment opportunities, leading to a demographic shift and cultural diversity within the county.

In the 20th century, Philadelphia County faced its fair share of challenges and underwent periods of economic decline. However, the city and county have since revitalized and reinvented themselves as a dynamic and thriving metropolis. Today, Philadelphia County is known for its rich history, vibrant arts and culture scene, iconic landmarks such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and its role as a major center for education and healthcare.

This timeline provides a condensed summary of the historical journey of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

  • 1624 - Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey claims the area for the Dutch Republic
  • 1682 - William Penn founds the city of Philadelphia as the capital of the Pennsylvania colony
  • 1701 - Philadelphia becomes a separate county, known as Philadelphia County
  • 1774-1778 - Philadelphia serves as the temporary capital of the United States during the Revolutionary War
  • 1787 - Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) hosts the Constitutional Convention
  • 1800-1830 - Philadelphia experiences rapid industrial growth and becomes a major manufacturing center
  • 1844 - Consolidation Act merges Philadelphia City and Philadelphia County into a single governmental entity
  • 1861-1865 - Philadelphia supports the Union during the American Civil War
  • 1876 - Philadelphia hosts the Centennial Exposition to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence
  • 1901 - Philadelphia's population exceeds one million, becoming the third-largest city in the United States
  • 1952 - Independence National Historical Park is established, encompassing many key historic sites in Philadelphia
  • 1976 - Philadelphia celebrates the United States' Bicentennial with various events and festivities