Maintained by PennDOT Length 8.964 km South Locust Street | Location Philadelphia North Chestnut Street Major cities Philadelphia | |
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Major
junctions US 13 / PA 3 (38th Street) in University City
I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway) in University City
PA 611 (Broad Street) in Center City West end PA 3 (Cobbs Creek Parkway) in Cobbs Creek East end Front Street in Penn's Landing | ||
Walnut Street is located in downtown Philadelphia and extends from the city's Delaware River waterfront through Center City and West Philadelphia. Walnut Street has been characterized as "the city's premier shopping district". A portion of the street was ranked 12th in 2005 by Women's Wear Daily among its list of the most expensive retail streets in North America, with rents of $90 per square foot, and is home to several "upscale dining, retail and cultural" establishments. In 2013 rents had risen to an average of $107 a foot, a growth of 34% over 2012 and the largest percentage growth of any retail corridor in the country.
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Map of Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Running parallel to Walnut Street, one or two blocks to the north (depending on whether the side street Sansom Street is counted), is Chestnut Street. Pennsylvania Route 3 westbound follows Walnut Street from 38th Street (U.S. Route 13) to its western terminus at the Cobbs Creek Parkway.
Route description
It is most known for Rittenhouse Square Park and its upscale shopping district in the high-end neighborhood of the same name. The majority of designer and fast fashion stores located on Walnut Street are situated on a four-block stretch between Broad Street and 18th Street, which is anchored by the park on the southwest corner. This area of Walnut Street and a few blocks to the east features a variety of shops, eateries, bars, hotels, and office buildings.
The Walnut Street Theatre, located at 825 Walnut Street, is the oldest continuously-operating theatre in the English-speaking world.
Among the many attractions and historic sites along Walnut Street are Independence National Historical Park and Society Hill on the east, followed by Washington Square, Washington Square West, the St. James Hotel (1226-1232), the Philadelphia Stock Exchange (1419-1411), the Sun Oil Building (1608-1610), the 1616 Walnut Street Building, Rittenhouse Square (also known as Center City West Commercial Historic District), Estey Hall (1701 Walnut Street), and the Church of the Holy Trinity.
The Walnut Street Bridge, completed in 1949, crosses the Schuylkill River. On the west side of the river, the street crosses over the Schuylkill Expressway.
Further west, Walnut Street bisects the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in the University City section of West Philadelphia. At 47th Street is the site of the old West Philadelphia High School. The Paul Robeson House sits at the corner of 50th and Walnut.
The street goes westward through Walnut Hill, Dunlap and eventually Cobbs Creek where the street ends.