{{Use American English|date=January 2025}} [[File:Stephen Girard Historical Marker in Girard Park 2101 Shunk St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3493).jpg|thumb|Historical marker at Gentilhommiere, Girard's home in the park]] '''Stephen Girard Park''' is a {{convert|4|acre|m2|adj=on}} park in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], in the [[South Philadelphia]] neighborhood of [[Girard Estate]], bounded between West Shunk, West Porter, 21st, and 22nd Streets.
Originally it was part of two parcels of land that [[Stephen Girard]] purchased in 1797–1798, aggregating seventy-five acres in what was then [[Passyunk Township, Pennsylvania]], which Girard developed into a farming enterprise<ref name="herrick">[https://archive.org/details/stephengirardfou00herr_0 Stephen Girard, Founder 1750-1831 (1923) by Cheesman Abiah Herrick, Ph. D., LL. D., President of Girard College]</ref>{{rp|101–107}} that grew to {{convert|583|acres}}.<ref>[https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=81589 Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission Historical Marker]</ref>
In 1831 [[Stephen Girard]] died, leaving most of his immense estate to "the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of [[Philadelphia]]",<ref name="herrick" />{{rp|178}} including his country mansion, Gentilhommerie. By the 1920s, urban development had reached the area, but because Girard's will stipulated that the estate could not be sold, the city initially developed the surrounding area as rental houses. In 1951, the City received permission from Orphans Court to sell the 1920s houses and to transfer the park surrounding the mansion to the City's [[Philadelphia Parks & Recreation|Fairmount Park Commission]].<ref name="parksource">[https://web.archive.org/web/20071011112026/http://parksource.org/findapark/parks/girard.html Girard Park (archive)]</ref> {{Coord|39.920339|-75.183145|display=title}}
<gallery mode=packed> File:Stephen Girard Park 2101 Shunk St Philadelphia PA (DSC 2485).jpg File:Stephen Girard Park 2101 Shunk St Philadelphia PA (DSC 2484).jpg File:Stephen Girard Statue 2100 Shunk St Philadelphia PA (DSC 0319).jpg File:Girard's Country House - Plate from the book Stephen Girard, Founder (1923) by C A Herrick.jpg </gallery>
==See also== *[[List of parks in Philadelphia]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Stephen Girard}} *{{Cite web |url=http://www.preservationalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GE-Layout6_061809.pdf |last=Spilner |first=Paula |title=Walking Tour Guide: Girard Estate |publisher=Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421065258/http://www.preservationalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/GE-Layout6_061809.pdf |archive-date=April 21, 2019}} *[[Historic American Buildings Survey]] (HABS) documentation, filed under Shunk and Twenty-first Streets, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA: **{{HABS |survey=PA-140 |id=pa0733 |title=Stephen Girard Country House |photos=24 |dwgs=11 |data=20 |link=no}} **{{HABS |survey=PA-1082 |id=pa0734 |title=Stephen Girard Country House, Utility Building |photos=5 |dwgs=3 |data=4 |supp=yes |link=no}}
{{Philadelphia parks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Girard, Stephen, Park}} [[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in Philadelphia]] [[Category:Municipal parks in Philadelphia]] [[Category:South Philadelphia]] [[Category:1953 establishments in Pennsylvania]]