Banks and business blocks in Philadelphia
This tour visits the commercial core, with banks, business blocks, stores and exchange buildings. Most were built to hold shops at street level and offices above.
The stops that carry a construction date run from 1795 to 1893. 10 stops, 1.7 miles end to end. Of the stops, 5 are National Historic Landmarks.
Distances are straight lines between the coordinates in the National Park Service Register data, so the walk on the street will be longer. Nobody has walked or checked this as a route, and a listing does not mean a place is open to visitors. Stops last changed Oct 16, 2026.
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Map
Coordinates come from the National Park Service National Register spatial data, or from Wikidata where the spatial data has no point. The solid line joins the stops in walking order and is not a street route. Listings with a restricted address in the Register are never mapped and never become stops. Data refreshed November 02, 2026.
Walking order
- 1Center City West Commercial Historic District (Boundary Increase)Roughly bounded by the Center City West Historic District, S. 15th St., Locust St. and S. Sydenham St.Historic district · listed 2009start
- 2Philadelphia Stock Exchange1409 1411 Walnut St.Building · listed 19820.1 mi from stop 1
- 3John Wanamaker StoreNHLJuniper and Market Sts.Building · listed 19780.2 mi from stop 2
- 4East Center City Commercial Historic DistrictRoughly bounded by 6th, Juniper, Market and Locust Sts.Historic district · listed 19840.2 mi from stop 3
- 5Old Federal Reserve Bank925 Chestnut St.Building · listed 19790.2 mi from stop 4
- 6Lits Department StoreMarket between 7th and 8th Sts.Building · built 1893 · listed 19790.3 mi from stop 5
- 7Second Bank of the United StatesNHL420 Chestnut St.Building · built 1824 · listed 19870.3 mi from stop 6
- 8First Bank of the United StatesNHL116 S. Third St.Building · built 1795 · listed 19870.1 mi from stop 7
- 9Merchants' Exchange BuildingNHL143 S. Third St.Building · built 1834 · listed 2001296 ft from stop 8
- 10New MarketNHLS. 2nd St., between Pine and Lombard Sts.Building · listed 19660.3 mi from stop 9
1.7 straight-line miles over 9 legs.
Taking it along
- Download the route as GPXFor a handheld GPS or a phone app
- Open all 10 stops in Google MapsSet the mode to walking once it opens
- Open the first stop in Apple MapsThe Apple Maps web link carries one destination, so this is stop 1 only
Other walks in Philadelphia
- Renaissance Revival architecture in Philadelphia10 stops · 2.5 milesRenaissance Revival draws on the Italian palazzo, with a rusticated ground floor, round arched windows and a strong horizontal cornice. The Philadelphia examples on this route went up between 1805 and 1904.
- Houses and mansions in Philadelphia15 stops · 2.1 milesThe route links houses built between 1870 and 1928. Many are private homes and the stops are meant to be seen from the sidewalk.
- Schools and libraries in Philadelphia11 stops · 2.2 milesThe route links schools built between 1857 and 1987. Some are still in use for teaching and some have been converted to other work.
- Industry and warehouses in Philadelphia10 stops · 2.5 milesThe route links industrial buildings built between 1882 and 1905. Many have been converted to other uses since they were listed.
- Philadelphia in the 1920s10 stops · 2.3 milesEvery stop carries a construction date in the 1920s. They are what Philadelphia holds on the register from that decade.
Local history books for Philadelphia
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Guidebooks to historic places in Pennsylvania
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.