Washington Square

Washington Square, originally designated in 1682 as Southeast Square, is a 6.4 acres open-space park in Center City Philadelphia’s southeast quadrant and one of the five original planned squares laid out on the city grid by William Penn’s surveyor, Thomas Holme.

About Washington Square

Washington Square, originally designated in 1682 as Southeast Square, is a 6.4 acres open-space park in Center City Philadelphia's southeast quadrant and one of the five original planned squares laid out on the city grid by William Penn's surveyor, Thomas Holme. It is part of both the Washington Square West and Society Hill neighborhoods. In 2005, the National Park Service took over ownership and management of Washington Square, through an easement from the City of Philadelphia. It is now part of Independence National Historical Park. Washington Square included an area called Lawyer's Row at 6th and Walnut, on the site of the former Walnut Street Prison. The square was also home to the city's publishing industry, including the Curtis Publishing Company, J. B. Lippincott, W. B. Saunders, Lea & Febiger, the Farm Journal, and George T. …

Washington Square included an area called Lawyer's Row at 6th and Walnut, on the site of the former Walnut Street Prison. The square was also home to the city's publishing industry, including the Curtis Publishing Company, J. B. Lippincott, W. B. Saunders, Lea & Febiger, the Farm Journal, and George T. Bisel Co., law publishers, now the sole remaining publishing house on the Square, with Franklin Jon Zuch serving as president since 1992. It has been located there since 1876 and still owned by the Bisel family.

source: wikipedia.org