Faculty and Students at the University of Pennsylvania inaugurated this heritage site in the spring of 2008.
This virtual history center will be an ever-revised and expanded resource by and for members of the
West Philadelphia community, and especially for teachers and their students.
Maps: 1802 idealized "Plan" for West Philadelphia, by Charles P. Varle
Zoom in on entire map or West Philadelphia detail
"New Plan Of The City And Its Environs", 1802 map by Charles P. Varle
Courtesy of The Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia.
In 1802, a geographer and engineer, Charles P. Varle, published a map of the city and county of Philadelphia which he titled, "New Plan of the City and its Environs." It included an idealized view of the future expansion of the city into West Philadelphia, with West Philadelphia streets following the city’s grid pattern as well as its practice of city squares dedicated to public use. Varle’s map called for three public spaces along High (now Market) Street – a Market Square, Washington Square, and an unnamed oval – and also located the country houses of the Penn, Bingham, Powel, and Hamilton families. West Philadelphia’s development eventually followed the city’s grid pattern, but it did not include Varle’s proposed city squares.
Web site sponsored by the University Archives of the University of Pennsylvania Copyright 2009 | PRIVACY