Market Square, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Market Square
Neighborhood of Harrisburg
Market Square, as seen at night facing South
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Dauphin County
City	Harrisburg
Area code(s)	717 and 223
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
Designated:	February 25, 1953

Harrisburg's Market Square is located in Downtown Harrisburg at the intersection of 2nd and Market Streets. The square was created in 1785. Since then, it has traditionally been the navigational center of the city, and since the 1980s has undergone a revival with several new commercial, residential and retail spaces either planned or built. Market Square serves as a hub for Capital Area Transit (CAT) buses. It is one block from Riverfront Park and the Market Street Bridge, which crosses over the Susquehanna River.

History

John Harris, Jr. the founder of Harrisburg had his son-in-law, William Maclay, draw up a plan for the town in 1785. It allowed for 207 quarter-acre building lots aligned along streets set to a standard width of fifty-two feet, six inches. Market Street, envisioned as the grand avenue of the new town, was planned at eighty feet wide. Where it intersected with Second Street, Maclay planned in ample setbacks to allow for a “Market Square,” which has remained a prominent feature of Harrisburg to this present day.

Since the 1980s, open concerts performed by professional artists have taken place at Market Square.

Images for kids

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  Market stands occupying Market Square in Harrisburg, as seen c. 1890 looking North.

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  Harrisburg Market Square showing the Penn National Insurance Building (left) and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. City Government Center (right)