Small-Group Public Walking Tour Exploring Philadelphia's Gilded Age to Now

5.0 (5 reviews) 2 h 30 min Free cancellation

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5.0

Philadelphia City Hall — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

This Walking Tour will also take you by and into some of Philadelphia's most prominent buildings. The buildings in this area are mostly from the mid-1800's through the present. Styles range from Beaux Arts, to Chicago and International style. We also wil see the newest and tallest buildings in Center City.

We do not enter any of the buildings listed on the tour. We will be outside them while I tell you about them.

Private and Luxury Architecture Tours Cultural Tours Historical Tours Walking Tours Small Group Weather Dependent - Moderate Agent Low Quality Product

At a glance

Duration: 2 h 30 min
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Up to 8 people
People per booking: 1–8
Guide: English
Operated by: phillyPHAT

Ages: Adults (16–85 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Live guided tour

Not included

Not included: Hotel pickup and drop-off
Not included: Gratuities

Itinerary

Reading Terminal Market

Passing by

One of the last old time food halls in the US. Created in the 1890's, Reading Terminal Market has undergone many changes over the years but remains a remarkable example of shopping from an earlier era.
Stop 2

Passing by

First International Style Building in the U.S., PSFS was created during the depression as a collaborative design between a local architect and a Swiss one using principles developed by the Bauhaus and European architects.
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

10 min Admission not included

The oldest art school in the US and a magnificent example of Frank Furness' architecture, this is one of his remaining High Victorian Gothic masterpieces. It opened just in time for the Centennial Exposition of 1876.
Masonic Temple Library & Museum

5 min Admission not included

View the exterior of this magnificent structure created just after the end of the Civil War in Romanesque or Norman Castle style. If you have time, reserve a tour of the interior rooms which are spectacular.
City Hall Visitor Center

10 min

Walk around this great 2nd Empire Baroque Building, the largest municipal building in the U.S. It is the tallest masonry bearing wall building in the world, and the statue of William Penn on the tower is the tallest on any building in the world.
Macy's Philadelphia

Passing by

View the Market Street National Bank's Art Deco facade across the Street and then enter the John Wanamaker Building. We will see the Grand Court and its grand organ.
Stop 7

Passing by

See the former Girard Bank Building then the Land Title Building across Chestnut Street. The Bank was originally designed by Frank Furness in his High Victorian Gothic style, but that was rejected. The Land Title building is the first in the city by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham who said:"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men`s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work..."
Stop 8

Passing by

Great early example of 2nd empire baroque style and one of the only structures built in Philadelphia during the Civil War. The club was created to support the Union troops.
Stop 9

Passing by

Once the grandest hotel in America designed by George Hewitt, once a partner with Frank Furness. It is Beaux Arts stylistically with a French chateau look at the top.
Academy of Music

Passing by

Original home of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Academy of Music is based on La Scala in Milan and was originally an opera house. The Italianate façade was to be in marble, but brick and brownstone were substituted to save on the cost.
Stop 11

Passing by

Great copy of the Strozzi Palace in Florence. Designed originally for Anthony Drexel's financial company, the exterior retains all the trimmings of Renaissance palazzos.
Shops at Liberty Place

Passing by

Two towers that broke the 548' height barrier. There had been a gentleman's agreement to build no higher than the City Hall statue of William Penn, but that changed in the 1980's with these two buildings, opening the way for a more modern skyline.
Comcast Center

10 min

1st and 2nd tallest buildings in Philadelphia. Comcast Center is a sleek combination of mirror and clear glass rising in a tapered form while the Comcast Innovation Center has 3 story groupings with a zig-zag pattern on the outside and a 10 story hotel at the top.
Penn Center/Suburban Station

5 min

Art Deco headquarters of the Pennsylvania Railroad, this building was created in the 1930's to replace Frank Furness' High Victorian Gothic terminal across from City Hall. The style was intended to represent the sleekness and speed of modern trains.
Love Park

5 min

Tour ends at the Love sculpture in what is referred to as Love Park. This park has now been redesigned several times and offers a variety of activities depending on the time of year, as well as a grand view up the Ben Franklin Parkway to the Art Museum.