# Fitler Square > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fitler_Square > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fitler_Square.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitler_Square > Source revision: 1324729305 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Neighborhood in Philadelphia, US Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, United States Fitler Square Neighborhood of Philadelphia Fitler Square in Summer 2007 Fitler Square Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia City Philadelphia Area codes 215, 267, and 445 **Fitler Square** is a 0.5 acre (0.20 ha) public park in [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania), United States and a surrounding [neighborhood](/source/List_of_Philadelphia_neighborhoods) of the same name. The square is bounded on the east by 23rd Street, on the west by 24th Street, on the north by Panama Street, and on the south by Pine Street. The neighborhood encompasses much of southwest [Center City](/source/Center_City%2C_Philadelphia) west of [Rittenhouse Square](/source/Rittenhouse_Square) and east of the [Schuylkill River](/source/Schuylkill_River). Fitler Square was named for late 19th century [Philadelphia mayor](/source/List_of_mayors_of_Philadelphia) [Edwin Henry Fitler](/source/Edwin_Henry_Fitler) shortly after his death in 1896. The square lies on land owned by the City of Philadelphia, via the Department of Parks and Recreation,[1] and is cared for through a public private partnership between the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Fitler Square Improvement Association.[2] ## Neighborhood Fitler Square, c. 1947 The name **Fitler Square** is also used to describe the [neighborhood](/source/Neighbourhood) surrounding the square, bounded roughly by 21st Street on the east, the [Schuylkill River](/source/Schuylkill_River) on the west, [Locust Street](/source/Locust_Street) on the north, and South Street on the south. To the east of this neighborhood is the [Rittenhouse Square](/source/Rittenhouse_Square) neighborhood; to the west is the [University City](/source/University_City%2C_Pennsylvania) neighborhood, home to the [University of Pennsylvania](/source/University_of_Pennsylvania) and [Drexel University](/source/Drexel_University); to the south is [Southwest Center City](/source/Southwest_Center_City), also known as "South of South" or the "Graduate Hospital Area". The portion of Center City surrounding Fitler Square and nearby [Rittenhouse Square](/source/Rittenhouse_Square) is sometimes referred to as "Rit-Fit" after the two parks.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Before the 1950s, the neighborhood was a prime example of the [urban blight](/source/Urban_blight) that had overcome much of the city. The park itself was described as a "mudhole inhabited by drunks and empty bottles".[3] In the mid-1950s, the Center City Residents' Association successfully petitioned [Mayor Clark](/source/Joseph_S._Clark) to do something about the decline of the neighborhood. Working together, they freed up [mortgage](/source/Mortgage_loan) money for the construction of new homes and rehabilitation of the neighborhood. Also threatening the neighborhood was the proposed [Crosstown Expressway](/source/Interstate_695_(Pennsylvania)). The threat of its construction, which would demolish much of the neighborhood, was enough to reduce property values and add to the neighborhood's blight. The Residents' Association was successful in changing these plans and in the following years the neighborhood drastically improved largely due to efforts of the Center City Residents' Association and the Fitler Square Improvement Association. The neighborhood is mostly residential, composed of single-family homes,[4] and within a short walk of the commercial areas of Center City. ## Sculptures See also: [National Register of Historic Places listings in Center City, Philadelphia](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Center_City%2C_Philadelphia) The fountain in Fitler Square A sculpture of three turtles adorn the park made by Philadelphia artist [Eric Berg](/source/Eric_Berg) along with sculptures of a Grizzly Bear and a Ram. The center of the park is dominated by a Victorian-era fountain which flows most of the year. Prior to 2010, this fountain, like many in [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), flowed fresh water from the main directly into the sewer system. In 2010, the Fitler Square Improvement Association engaged a large project at a cost of approximately $40,000 funded by neighborhood donations and a $7,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to change the fountain into one that recirculates all of its water with a pumping system saving huge amounts of water each year. ## Educational institutions The Philadelphia School, a private institution, is located in the Fitler Square Neighborhood at 2501 Lombard St. The school, which originally opened in 1972, offers preschool through 8th grade classes.[5] The [Free Library of Philadelphia](/source/Free_Library_of_Philadelphia) operates the Philadelphia City Institute on the first floor and lower level of an apartment complex at 1905 Locust Street.[6] ## Notable people - [Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus](/source/Gilbert_and_Eleanor_Kraus), subjects of *[50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus](/source/50_Children%3A_The_Rescue_Mission_of_Mr._and_Mrs._Kraus)* ## In popular culture - On the television show *[Philly](/source/Philly_(TV_series))*, [Kim Delaney](/source/Kim_Delaney)'s character "Kathleen" was portrayed as living in a small apartment overlooking the park. - Hojun Li, co-editor of the film *[The Sixth Sense](/source/The_Sixth_Sense)*, claims to have been inspired by children in Fitler Square. ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Department of Parks and Recreation](http://www.phila.gov/parksandrecreation/Pages/default.aspx) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Fitler Square Improvement Association, Inc](http://www.fitlersquare.org) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Lowe, Jeanne R., *Cities in a Race With Time: Progress and Poverty in America's Renewing Cities*, p 338, Random House NY, 1967 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Fitler Square"](https://kwphiladelphia.com/communities/fitler-square/). *KW Philadelphia*. Retrieved May 22, 2025. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["The Philadelphia School"](https://web.archive.org/web/20091117100737/http://www.tpschool.org/wwa/ataglance.php). Archived from [the original](http://www.tpschool.org/wwa/ataglance.php) on November 17, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2009. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** "[Philadelphia City Institute](http://libwww.freelibrary.org/branches/branch.cfm?loc=PCI)." *[Free Library of Philadelphia](/source/Free_Library_of_Philadelphia)*. Retrieved on January 20, 2009. ## External links - [Fitler Square Improvement Association](http://www.fitlersquare.org) - [Historic Photographs of Fitler Square](http://www.phillyhistory.org/), *Philly*History.org v t e Communities of Philadelphia Former municipalities are below. Sections and Neighborhoods Center City Avenue of the Arts Broad Street Chinatown Fitler Square Franklin Square Jewelers' Row Logan Square Old City Penn's Landing Rittenhouse Square Society Hill South Street Washington Square West South Bella Vista Central South Philadelphia Devil's Pocket Dickinson Square West East Passyunk Crossing Fabric Row FDR Park Girard Estate Grays Ferry Greenwich Hawthorne Italian Market Little Saigon Lower Moyamensing Marconi Plaza Moyamensing Newbold Packer Park Passyunk Square Pennsport Point Breeze Queen Village Southwark Southwest Center City Sports Complex West Passyunk Wharton Whitman Wilson Park Southwest Angora Bartram Village Clearview Eastwick Elmwood Park Hog Island Kingsessing Mount Moriah Paschall Southwest Schuylkill West Avenue of Technology Belmont Village Carroll Park Cathedral Park Centennial District Cedar Park Cobbs Creek Dunlap Garden Court Haddington Haverford North Mantua Mill Creek Overbrook Overbrook Farms Overbrook Park Parkside Powelton Village Saunders Park Spruce Hill Squirrel Hill 30th Street Station University City Walnut Hill Woodland Terrace Wynnefield Wynnefield Heights North Lower North Badlands Belfield Brewerytown Callowhill Cecil B. Moore El Centro de Oro / Fairhill Fairmount Francisville Hartranft Ivy Hill Ludlow N3RD Street North Central Northern Liberties North Philadelphia East North Philadelphia West Poplar Sharswood South Lehigh Spring Garden Stanton Strawberry Mansion Yorktown Upper North Allegheny West Badlands Franklinville Glenwood Hunting Park Nicetown–Tioga Olde Kensington Swampoodle West Kensington Olney-Oak Lane East Oak Lane Feltonville Fern Rock Koreatown Logan Ogontz Olney West Oak Lane Northwest Lower Northwest Andorra East Falls Manayunk Parkland Roxborough Wissahickon Upper Northwest Beggarstown Cedarbrook Chestnut Hill Germantown Morton Mount Airy Wister Northeast Near Northeast Burholme Castor Gardens Crescentville Fox Chase Frankford Holme Circle Holmesburg Juniata Lawndale Lexington Park Mayfair Oxford Circle Rhawnhurst Ryers Tacony Wissinoming Far Northeast Academy Gardens Ashton-Woodenbridge Bustleton Byberry Crestmont Farms Millbrook Modena Park Morrell Park Normandy Parkwood Pennypack Somerton Torresdale Upper Holmesburg Winchester Park River Wards Bridesburg Fishtown Harrowgate Kensington Olde Richmond Port Richmond Former Municipalities Cities Philadelphia (Center City) Boroughs Aramingo Bridesburg Frankford Germantown Manayunk West Philadelphia Whitehall Districts Belmont Kensington Moyamensing Northern Liberties Penn Richmond Southwark Spring Garden Townships Blockley Bristol Byberry Delaware Germantown Kingsessing Lower Dublin Moreland Northern Liberties Oxford Passyunk Penn Roxborough Footnotes As a consolidated city-county Philadelphia is its own county seat. v t e Parks of Philadelphia Burholme Park Clark Park Dilworth Park Eakins Oval Fairmount Park Fitler Square Fox Chase Farm Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park Franklin Square Girard Fountain Park Hunting Park Independence National Historical Park Innovation Plaza Logan Circle Love Park Malcolm X Park Pastorius Park Penn Treaty Park Pennypack Park Pretzel Park Reading Viaduct Rittenhouse Square Spruce Street Harbor Park Stephen Girard Park Thomas Paine Plaza Washington Square Wissahickon Valley Park Weccacoe Playground List of parks --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fitler Square](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitler_Square) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitler_Square?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.