Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the city borders to be coterminous with Philadelphia County.

Geography Boundaries

Center City is bounded by South Street to the south, the Delaware River to the east, the Schuylkill River to the west, and Vine Street to the north."The State of Center City 2015, page 4" The district occupies the old boundaries of the City of Philadelphia before the city was made coterminous with Philadelphia County in 1854. The Center City District, which has special powers of taxation,"The State of Center City 2008" , The Center City District and the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation, May 2008. has a complicated, irregularly shaped boundary that includes much but not all of this area and also extends beyond it. The Philadelphia Police Department patrols four districts located within Center City – the 6th, 9th, 3rd, and 17th districts., Philadelphia Police Department.

Neighborhood features

Among Center City's neighborhoods and districts are Penn's Landing, Old City, Society Hill, South Street, Washington Square West, Market East, Chinatown, Logan Square, the Museum District (located along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway), Rittenhouse Square, Fitler Square, the Avenue of the Arts (South Broad Street), and Jewelers' Row.

Center City is home to most of Philadelphia's tallest buildings, including Philadelphia's City Hall, the second-tallest masonry building in the world and, until 1987, the tallest in Philadelphia, as well as the tallest building in the world for fourteen years (1894–1908). In March 1987, One Liberty Place broke the gentlemen's agreement not to exceed the height of the statue of William Penn atop City Hall. Upon the completion of One Liberty Place, no Philadelphia major-league sports team won a world championship for the next two decades, a phenomenon known as the "Curse of Billy Penn". In an effort to reverse the curse, a three-foot statue of Penn was affixed to the top of the Comcast Center upon its completion as the city's new tallest building in 2007. On October 29, 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series, ending the "curse".

Seven other skyscrapers now exceed the height of Penn's statue, including One Liberty Place's little sister, Two Liberty Place. The Comcast Center, which was completed in 2007, became the tallest building in Pennsylvania, 30 feet taller than One Liberty Place. In 2018, the Comcast Technology Center opened, which is now the tallest building in Philadelphia and the tallest building in the United States outside of Manhattan and Chicago. 1441 Chestnut, which is currently under construction, is also slated to be taller than City Hall. The first publicly accessible vantage point higher than City Hall opened at One Liberty Observation Deck on the 57th floor of One Liberty Place in 2015.

Other Center City skyscrapers include the BNY Mellon Center and the Three Logan Square, which houses a traffic camera used by the Philadelphia branch of the Westwood One MetroNetworks traffic service.

Across the street from City Hall is the Masonic Temple, the headquarters of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, a legacy of the Founding Fathers and signers of the Declaration of Independence, many of whom were Freemasons; these include George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. While Philadelphia's population declined between 1990 and 2000, Center City's population increased by 10% over that same period.

In 2007, the city designated the area bound by 11th Street, Broad Street, Chestnut Street and Pine Street as the Gayborhood.

Neighborhoods Callowhill Chinatown Fitler Square Gayborhood French Quarter Logan Square Market East Old City Penn Center Penn's Landing Rittenhouse Square Society Hill Washington Square West

Economy

Sunoco has its headquarters in the BNY Mellon Center."Contact Sunoco ." Sunoco. Retrieved on August 24, 2009. Cigna has its corporate headquarters in 2 Liberty Place. Aramark is headquartered in Center City on the east bank of the Schuylkill River on Market Street. Comcast is headquartered in the Comcast Center. The law firm Cozen O'Connor has its headquarters in Center City. Kogan Page has its U.S. headquarters in Center City.

Lincoln National Corporation moved its headquarters from Fort Wayne, Indiana to Philadelphia in 1999.Blumenthal, Jeff. "Lincoln sells Delaware Investments". Philadelphia Business Journal. August 19, 2009. Modified August 20, 2009. Retrieved on August 24, 2009. In Philadelphia Lincoln was headquartered in the West Tower of Centre Square in Center City."Contact Us". Lincoln National Corporation. Retrieved on August 24, 2009. In 2007, the company moved 400 employees, including its top executives, to Radnor Township from Philadelphia.

Government and infrastructure

Buildings Center City is home to some of the largest and most prominent buildings in the United States, including:

1818 Market Street Centre Square Comcast Center, the 23rd tallest skyscraper in the nation Liberty Place Philadelphia City Hall, the world's largest free-standing masonry building Three Logan Square

Infrastructure

The Philadelphia Fire Department operates five fire stations in Center City:

Engine 1, Ladder 5, Medic 35, Battalion 1 - 711 S. Broad St. Snorkel 2, Medic 44B, Battalion 4, Field Comm. Unit 1 - 101 N. 4th St. Engine 11, Medic 21 - 601 South St. Pipeline 20, Ladder 23, Medic 1 - 133 N. 10th St. Squirt 43, Ladder 9, Medic 7 - 2108 Market St.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons Northeast Region Office is in the U.S. Custom House, a part of the Independence National Historical Park, in Old City, Center City."Northeast Regional Office". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on June 9, 2015. "U.S. Custom House, 7th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19106"

The William J. Green Jr. Federal Building houses the Federal Bureau of Investigation Philadelphia Field Office."Philadelphia". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved on June 9, 2015. "William J. Green, Jr. Building 600 Arch Street, 8th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19106"

Diplomatic offices and consulates The Consulate-General of Italy in Philadelphia is located in the 1026 Public Ledger Building at 150 South Independence Mall West. The Consulate-General of Panama in Philadelphia is located in Suite 1 at 124 Chestnut Street. The Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia is located in Suite 310 of the Bourse Building off of Independence Mall.

The Consulate-General of the Dominican Republic in Philadelphia was located in Suite 216 in the Lafayette Building at 437 Chestnut Street. It closed on November 7, 2005. The Consulate-General of Israel in Philadelphia was located on the 18th Floor at 1880 John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Israel closed the Philadelphia consulate in 2016.

Education Public schools

Residents of Center City are included within the School District of Philadelphia. From the 1940s to the opening of what is now known as the Greenfield School in 1954, many residents attended public schools in other areas and private schools due to the low number of public schools in Center City."About Us". Albert M. Greenfield School. Retrieved on April 5, 2018.

In 2005, in an attempt to slow the flight of middle-class families, the school district and Center City District, an economic development agency, launched a program that promoted public schools in Center City, including Rittenhouse Square and Society Hill, and adjacent areas in Fairmount, Northern Liberties, and South Philadelphia.

K-8 schools that have attendance boundaries in Center City and areas around Center City include:"". Center City District. Albert M. Greenfield It opened in September 1954 as the Center City School after the Center City Residents Association (CCRA) advocated for its establishment. It was initially housed in a YWCA and later in the former Jerrold Electronics Building. In 1964 the school district bought the site for a permanent campus, which began construction in 1966 and opened in September 1970.

Andrew Jackson School Bache-Martin Chester A. Arthur Edwin M. Stanton General Philip Kearny George A. McCall School George W. Nebinger School James R. Ludlow Laura Wheeler Waring Spring Garden School William H. Harrison William M. Meredith School

Neighborhood high schools for Center City and the Center City area, located outside of Center City, include:"Center City Schools — Maps & Info ." Center City District."A Guide for September 2007 High School Admissions ." School District of Philadelphia."A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions ." School District of Philadelphia. Accessed November 6, 2008. Benjamin Franklin High School Furness High School"General George A. McCall School - Where the graduates go". Center City District. South Philadelphia High School

Other high schools include: Bodine High School for International Affairs Constitution High School for American Studies Franklin Learning Center High School Parkway Center City Middle College Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology Science Leadership Academy

Combined middle and high schools include: Julia R. Masterman School

Charter schools Charter schools not operated by the School District of Philadelphia include:

Grades 1–12: Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School Grades 7–12: The Mastery Charter Schools system operates the Mastery Charter Lenfest Campus (7-12) in Old City. It moved from North Philadelphia to Old City in 2002."Lenfest Campus". Mastery Charter Schools. Retrieved on September 10, 2012. "35 South 4th Street Philadelphia, PA 19106" Grades 5–8: Freire Charter Middle School Grades 6–12: World Communications Charter School Grades 9–12: Architecture and Design Charter School Freire Charter High School Mastery Charter High School Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter School Grades K–8: Laboratory Charter School of Communication and Languages Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School Grades 6–8: Wakisha Charter School Grades K–7: Christopher Columbus Charter School Independence Charter School grades K–8 People for People Charter School Grades Pre-K-8: Russell Byers Charter School Grades K–6: Universal Institute Charter School

Private schools Roman Catholic parochial schools The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia operates the following Roman Catholic parochial schools in the Center City area :

Grades 9-12: J. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School Roman Catholic High School Grades Pre-K-8: St. Francis Xavier School St. Peter the Apostle School Grades K-8: St. Mary's Interparochial School Grades 1-8: Holy Redeemer School

Other private schools Other private schools in the Center City area include:

Grades Pre-K-12: Friends Select School Grades 9-12: City Center Academy Grades Pre-K-8: St. Peter's School The Philadelphia School

Public libraries

The Free Library of Philadelphia operates the Parkway Central Library at 1901 Vine Street,"Central Library". Free Library of Philadelphia. Retrieved on January 20, 2009. the Independence Branch at 18 South 7th Street,"Independence Branch". Free Library of Philadelphia. Retrieved on January 20, 2009. the Philadelphia City Institute on the first floor and lower level of an apartment complex at 1905 Locust Street,"Philadelphia City Institute". Free Library of Philadelphia. Retrieved on January 20, 2009. and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at 919 Walnut Street."Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped". Free Library of Philadelphia. Retrieved on January 20, 2009.

Other institutions Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is headquartered in Center City.Home page . Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Retrieved on May 12, 2015. "200 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19104"

Culture Music and theatre