Chestnut Street in Philadelphia is an east-west thoroughfare that makes its way through the downtown area, stretching from the riverfront in the east all the way to the western portion of the city. The most notable blocks of Chestnut Street are those that run through the historic area in Center City.
Just east of Independence Hall, there are several historic sites situated along Chestnut Street, just one of several streets in the city named after varieties of nuts. The Second Bank of the United States, built between 1824 and 1841, sits at 4th and Chestnut Streets. The beautiful Greek Revival building was designed by architect William Strickland and today contains a collection of portraits of some of the early leaders in the fight for independence. At 3rd and Chestnut is the New Hall Military Museum. Built in 1791, today it houses a collection of artifacts relating to early American military history. Across from that museum is the Philadelphia Marine Museum, which tells the history of shipping on the Delaware River. Yet another military museum, the Army-Navy Museum, is located in the historic Pemberton House. Most notable, however, is Carpenter's Hall, where the First Continental Congress met in 1774. It now houses a museum dedicated to the craft of carpentry.
In 1976, the city of Philadelphia turned 12 blocks of Chestnut Street into a pedestrian mall. This was done in time for the July 4th Bicentennial celebration that took place in downtown Philadelphia. The mall would stretch from 6th to 18th Streets and would include expanded sidewalks, pedestrian crosswalks located mid-block, specially designed lighting, bus shelters, planters, and some seating. No cars would be allowed to traverse Chestnut Street for those 12 blocks. The city spent about $7.4 million on the project. The pedestrian mall was a hit for more than 20 years, but auto traffic was restored to the area in the late 1990s due to severe traffic snarls in that portion of downtown.
While this part of Chestnut Street is no longer for pedestrians only, it is still a prime shopping area. Situated along this part of the street are numerous stores including both familiar chain apparel stores and boutique shops with unique clothing, accessories, and other items. The street is also lined with other kinds of stores including a few souvenir shops peddling a wide variety of Philly-themed merchandise. There are also quite a few restaurants located along Chestnut Street, particularly in the area that was once the pedestrian mall. Take-out, bistro-type eateries, and formal sit-down restaurants can all be found along Chestnut.
After the street stretches past 18th Street, it becomes a typical city street, dotted with a variety of stores, services, hospitals, and businesses, including Liberty Place One and Two, two of the tallest buildings in the city. As it travels further west into the area known as West Philadelphia, Chestnut Street crosses the Schuylkill River and becomes a populous residential street.
