An Architectural Adventure in Philadelphia’s Spruce Hill Neighborhood

Philadelphia’s Spruce Hill neighborhood is dotted with almost 200 historically certified buildings. On this walking tour, you’ll find out how this part of West Philadelphia developed, discover an amazing variety of architectural styles, and pick up some architectural terminology.

The tour starts at an impressive Italianate mansion on St Mark’s Square, opposite Walnut Hill College. From there, you’ll stroll through some of the neighborhood’s most picturesque streets including Locust, Pine, and Spruce Street on your way to the Woodlands Cemetery where the tour ends.

Along the way, you’ll walk past dozens of houses in styles such as Italianate, Second Empire Baroque, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival. I’ll tell you what’s unique about each style, how to tell them apart, and the architectural terms that define them. I’ll also share what made this area so different from older parts of Philadelphia, who created it, and the external influences that helped shape it.

On this 90-minute tour, you’ll:

• Become familiar with George Watson Hewitt and his younger brother, William Dempster Hewitt, who formed one of Philadelphia’s most elite and prolific architectural firms
• Learn what caused the rise and fall in popularity of 19th-century architectural styles
• Find out about Clarence H. Clark Sr, who was instrumental in developing West Philadelphia from farmlands into a streetcar suburb
• Discover how the Woodlands Cemetery got its start as Hamilton Village or Hamiltonville, a vast estate and community
• Meet the developers and architects who created the Spruce Hill neighborhood

By the end of this tour, you’ll know how and why Spruce Hill came to exist, be able to identify different architectural styles and details, and have a better understanding of the architects and developers who created this part of Philadelphia. You’ll also have seen an amazing collection of residential buildings.