National Register of Historic Places listings in Philadelphia facts for kids

Location of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania

This article is about the amazing historic places in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Imagine a special list that keeps track of important buildings, neighborhoods, and sites that tell a story about the past. This list is called the National Register of Historic Places. In Philadelphia, there are over 500 places on this list! Some of these are even more special and are called National Historic Landmarks, like super important treasures. Philadelphia has 67 of these!

Historic Places Across Philadelphia's Neighborhoods

Philadelphia is a big city with many different neighborhoods. To help keep track of all the historic places, the city is divided into 12 main planning areas. Each area has its own unique history and special sites.

For example, areas like East and West Oak Lane, Olney, and parts of North Philadelphia are grouped together as North Philadelphia. Places like Kensington and the Northeast are part of Northeast Philadelphia. And areas such as Roxborough, Manayunk, Germantown, and Chestnut Hill are found in Northwest Philadelphia.

Here's a quick look at how many historic sites are listed in each main part of Philadelphia:

Furness Library, a beautiful historic building in West Philadelphia The Merchants' Exchange Building, a historic landmark in Center City

District Number of Sites 1 Center City 146 2 North Philadelphia 155 3 Northeast Philadelphia 58 4 Northwest Philadelphia 72 5 South Philadelphia 59 6 Southwest Philadelphia 12 7 West Philadelphia 62 (Some sites are listed in more than one district): (5) Total Historic Sites: 559

Philadelphia districts (clickable map to explore different areas)

Images for kids

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  The Merchants' Exchange Building, a historic landmark in Center City