Chestnut Hill is a
neighborhood
A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...
in the
Northwest Philadelphia section of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, United States. It is known for the high incomes of its residents and high
real estate values, as well as its
private school
A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...
s.
Geography
Boundaries
Chestnut Hill is bounded as follows:
* on the northwest by Northwestern Avenue (a county line and city limit, beyond which lies a
panhandle of
Springfield Township,
Montgomery County that juts into
Whitemarsh Township);
* on the west by the
Wissahickon Gorge (part of the
Fairmount Park
Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, w ...
system) (beyond which lie Upper Roxborough and
Andorra
Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...
);
* on the northeast by Stenton Avenue (a county line and city limit, beyond which lie
Erdenheim and
Wyndmoor, both in Springfield Township); and
* on the southeast by the
Cresheim Valley (part of Fairmount Park) (beyond which lies
Mount Airy).
ZIP code
The
USPS
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal serv ...
does not officially correlate neighborhood names to Philadelphia
ZIP codes (all are called simply "Philadelphia" or "Phila"). However, the 19118 ZIP code is almost entirely coterminous with the cultural-consensus boundaries of Chestnut Hill.
History

The village of Chestnut Hill was part of the
German Township laid out by
Francis Daniel Pastorius
Francis Daniel Pastorius (September 26, 1651) was a German-born educator, lawyer, poet, and public official. He was the founder of Germantown, Philadelphia, Germantown, Pennsylvania, now part of Philadelphia, the first permanent German-American ...
and came to include the settlements originally known as Sommerhausen and Crefeld, as well as part of Cresheim. It served as a gateway between Philadelphia and the nearby farmlands. During the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
era (late 18th century), the area was one of many summer vacation spots due to its higher elevation, 400–500 feet (120 to 150 m) above sea level, and cooler temperatures than the historic Center City. Chestnut Hill is still stereotypically known as one of the more affluent sections of Philadelphia. However, there are many residents who fall within lower/middle class incomes.
Chestnut Hill (along with many other towns and farmlands of Philadelphia County) became part of the City of Philadelphia in 1854 as part of the
Act of Consolidation, when the County and the City became completely coterminous. In the same year, the Chestnut Hill Railroad (
Chestnut Hill East Line) opened, making an easy commute to and from Center City. In 1884, a second railway line was added by the Philadelphia, Germantown and Chestnut Hill Railroad (
Connecting Railway).
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, Chestnut Hill was home to
Mower U.S. Army General Hospital, constructed to serve
Union army soldiers.
From the mid-19th century through the mid-20th, the neighborhood served as both a "railroad suburb" and a "
streetcar suburb
A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Such suburbs developed in the United States in the years before the automobile, when ...
" of Center City; although it was part of Philadelphia, it was a leafy outlying part functioning as a
bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
. The neighborhood contains a wide variety of 19th and early 20th century residential buildings by many of the most prominent Philadelphia architects.
In 1985, the neighborhood was designated as the
Chestnut Hill Historic District with the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. Citing its natural resources, architectural character, and thoughtful planning, the
American Planning Association
The American Planning Association (APA) is a professional organization representing the field of urban planning in the United States. APA was formed in 1978, when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Pla ...
has recognized it among its Great Places in America.
Historic and notable architecture

The Chestnut Hill listings on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
:
*
Anglecot (1883), designed by
Wilson Eyre.
*
Chestnut Hill Historic District
*
Druim Moir Historic District, includes Romanesque Revival mansion (1883–86), designed by
G. W. & W. D. Hewitt.
*
Graver's Lane Station (1883), designed by
Frank Furness
Frank Heyling Furness (November 12, 1839 – June 27, 1912) was an American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his diverse, muscular, often inordinately scaled ...
.
*
John Story Jenks School
Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences is a public K-8 school in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is part of the School District of Philadelphia. Jenks serves children from kindergarten through eighth grade and has a ...
(1922), designed by Irwin T. Catharine.
* Thomas Mill Bridge (across the
Wissahickon Creek
Wissahickon Creek is a tributary of the Schuylkill River in Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties, Pennsylvania.
Wissahickon Creek rises in Montgomery County, runs approximately passing through and dividing Northwest Philadelphia before emp ...
, the only traditional
covered bridge in Philadelphia).
*
Wissahickon Inn (now Chestnut Hill Academy) (1883–84), designed by G. W. & W. D. Hewitt.
* The
Margaret Esherick House, designed by architect Louis Kahn (1959-1962), added to Register 2023.
Other historic and notable properties include:
*
High Hollow, The George Howe House (1914–17), designed by
George Howe
*
Inglewood Cottage (1850), designed by
Thomas Ustick Walter
Thomas Ustick Walter (September 4, 1804 – October 30, 1887) was an American architect. He worked on more than 400 projects, including Moyamensing Prison and Girard College in Philadelphia. He served as the fourth Architect of the Capitol, ...
*
Esherick House
The Margaret Esherick House in Philadelphia is one of the most studied of the nine built houses designed by American architect Louis Kahn. Commissioned by Chestnut Hill bookstore owner Margaret Esherick, the house was completed in 1961. In 202 ...
(1961), designed by
Louis Kahn
Louis Isadore Kahn (born Itze-Leib Schmuilowsky; – March 17, 1974) was an Estonian-born American architect based in Philadelphia. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935. Whil ...
*
Vanna Venturi House
The Vanna Venturi House, one of the first prominent works of the postmodern architecture movement, is located in the neighborhood of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by arch ...
(1962–64), designed by
Robert Venturi
Robert Charles Venturi Jr. (June 25, 1925 – September 18, 2018) was an American architect, founding principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates.
Together with his wife and partner, Denise Scott Brown, he helped shape the way that ...
Public transportation
Public transportation in southeastern Pennsylvania, which includes Philadelphia and the surrounding counties, is provided by
SEPTA
SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...
, the region's mass transit authority.
Regional rail (commuter rail)

Two
SEPTA Regional Rail
The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by SEPTA and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, its suburbs and satellite town ...
commuter train lines serve Chestnut Hill: the
Chestnut Hill East Line and
Chestnut Hill West Line
The Chestnut Hill West Line is a route of the SEPTA SEPTA Regional Rail, Regional Rail network. It connects Northwest Philadelphia, including the eponymous neighborhood of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Chestnut Hill, West Mount Ai ...
.
Buses
Chestnut Hill is served by SEPTA bus routes from both the
City Transit Division (
23, 77 and L) and the
Suburban Division (94 and 97).
Trolleys
Tram
A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
s in the southeastern Pennsylvania region are known as ''trolleys.'' The trolley network of this region was very extensive prior to
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, but has shrunk since that era. Chestnut Hill was formerly served by trolleys. Trolley service to Chestnut Hill began in 1894, and trolley tracks still run down the Belgian-block-paved main street of the neighborhood, Germantown Avenue, which was served by
SEPTA Route 23. SEPTA "temporarily suspended" regular trolley service in 1992. From 1992 until 1996, weekend-only service ran between Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, re-branded The "Chestnut Hill Trolley." Sporadic trolley charter trips ran down Germantown Avenue and into North Philadelphia until 2003.
In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation completed work on restoring segments of the trolley infrastructure and streetscape in Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy and Germantown. As of 2011, SEPTA spokespeople publicly state that there are no plans to reinstate trolley service on Route 23,
despite claims to the contrary in their annual capital budget reports. The dismantling of Route 23 infrastructure is unpopular with a large segment of local residents.
Education
Colleges and universities
*
Chestnut Hill College
Primary and secondary schools
Public education

Residents are zoned to schools in the
School District of Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated State schools, public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the largest school district in Pennsylvania and the eighth-lar ...
. Students in grades
kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
through 8 are zoned to
John Story Jenks School
Jenks Academy for the Arts and Sciences is a public K-8 school in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is part of the School District of Philadelphia. Jenks serves children from kindergarten through eighth grade and has a ...
, while students in grades 9 through 12 are zoned to
Roxborough High School.
Students were previously zoned to
Germantown High School.
[A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions]
." ''School District of Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated State schools, public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the largest school district in Pennsylvania and the eighth-lar ...
''. Accessed November 6, 2008.
Private education
Chestnut Hill is home to several private schools. The Pre-K-12
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, educates single-sex Pre-K-8 and coed 9–12, formed in 2010 through the merger of
Springside School
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (also known as SCH Academy or SCH) is an independent, non-sectarian Pre-K through grade 12 school located in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, approximately 10 miles fro ...
and
Chestnut Hill Academy. Other private schools in Chestnut Hill are
The Crefeld School (7-12), and the K-8 Norwood-Fontbonne Academy. Nearby private schools in adjacent neighborhoods that attract some Chestnut Hill residents include
Germantown Friends School,
William Penn Charter School
William Penn Charter School (commonly known as Penn Charter or simply PC) is an elite private school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1689 at the urging of William Penn as the "Public Grammar School" and chartered in 1689 to b ...
, and
Germantown Academy.
Public libraries
Free Library of Philadelphia
The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system that serves the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the 16th-largest public library system in the United States. The Free Library of Philadelphia is a non-Mayoral agency of the ...
operates the Chestnut Hill Branch at 8711 Germantown Avenue.
Parks, arboretums, and recreation
*
Morris Arboretum of the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
*
Pastorius Park
Pastorius Park is a sixteen-acre (6.5-ha) park that is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is maintained bFriends of Pastorius Parkand the Fairmount Park Commission.
History and notable features
Established in 1915, this ...
*
Wissahickon Valley Park of the
Fairmount Park
Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, w ...
system
The community previously held the Chestnut Hill
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...
Festival, but in 2018 the event was canceled since the copyright owners cracked down on for-profit uses of the brand. In 2017 there were 50,000 attendees to that year's 7th annual event.
In 2019, the festival resumed as the Witches & Wizards Festival.
Other notable civic institutions

*
Philadelphia Cricket Club
The Philadelphia Cricket Club, founded in 1854 in southeastern Pennsylvania, is the oldest country club in the United States. Its two locations are in Chestnut Hill and Flourtown, north-northwest of downtown Philadelphia.
History
Founde ...
*
Wissahickon Skating Club
*
Woodmere Art Museum
Notable people
*
R. Tucker Abbott
Robert Tucker Abbott (September 28, 1919 – November 3, 1995) was an American conchology, conchologist and malacology, malacologist. He was the author of more than 30 books on malacology, which have been translated into many languages.
Abbot ...
,
malacologist
Malacology, from Ancient Greek μαλακός (''malakós''), meaning "soft", and λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is the branch of invertebrate zoology that deals with the study of the Mollusca (molluscs or mollusks), the second-largest ...
and author
*
Willie Anderson, golfer, winner of four
U.S. Opens
*
E. Digby Baltzell, author and sociologist
*
Maud Banks, tennis player
[Girard (April 21, 1939)]
"Will Dick Williams Create a Wimbledon in Phila.?"
''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''.
*
Francis Bohlen (1868–1942),
Algernon Sydney Biddle professor of law at the
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Carey Law, or Penn Law; previously University of Pennsylvania Law School) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Phi ...
*
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
, ornithologist; namesake of
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...
's fictional secret agent
*
Adolph E. Borie merchant, civil war financier, Secretary of the Navy
*
Joseph S. Clark, former
U.S. senator
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
and former
mayor of Philadelphia
The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Cherelle Parker, who is the first woman to hold the ...
*
Joe Daley, professional golfer
*
Richardson Dilworth, former
mayor of Philadelphia
The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Cherelle Parker, who is the first woman to hold the ...
*
Eleanor Widener Dixon (1891-1966), socialite and philanthropist
*
George Gordon Meade Easby, great-grandson of
General George Meade
*
Philo Taylor Farnsworth
Philo Taylor Farnsworth (August 19, 1906 – March 11, 1971), "The father of television", was the American inventor and pioneer who was granted the first patent for the television by the United States Government.
Burns, R. W. (1998), ''Televisi ...
, (August 19, 1906 – March 11, 1971) was an
inventor
An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...
and
television
Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
pioneer
*
Melissa Fitzgerald, actress
*
William J. Green, III
William Joseph Green III (born June 24, 1938) is an American politician from Pennsylvania. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Green served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1964 to 1977 and as the Mayor of Philadelphia, 94th M ...
, former
mayor of Philadelphia
The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Cherelle Parker, who is the first woman to hold the ...
*
Albert M. Greenfield, businessman, political activist, and philanthropist
*
Henry H. Houston, railroad businessman and developer
*
W. Thacher Longstreth, former
City Councilman At-Large
*
Alexander Lawton Mackall, journalist, editor, and
gastronomic expert
*
Alice Mason (real estate broker)
*
David Morse, actor
*
George M. Ottinger, artist
*
Alec Ounsworth, musician (born 1977)
*
Georges Perrier, former resident and celebrity chef, and former owner and chef at
Le Bec Fin, and several other restaurants in Philadelphia.
*
Christopher Stuart Patterson (born 1842), Dean of the
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Carey Law, or Penn Law; previously University of Pennsylvania Law School) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in Phi ...
*
Alan Porter,
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
umpire
*
Henry C. Pitz,
Illustrator
An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...
*
Frank Rizzo, former
police commissioner
A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...
of Philadelphia and former
mayor of Philadelphia
The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Cherelle Parker, who is the first woman to hold the ...
*
Brian L. Roberts, CEO of
Comcast Corporation
*
Witold Rybczynski
Witold Rybczynski (born 1 March 1943) is a Canadian American architect, professor and writer. He is currently the Martin and Margy Meyerson Professor Emeritus of Urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania.
Early life
Rybczynski was born in E ...
, architect and urban policy scholar
*
Hugh Scott,
U.S. Congressman and
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
*
Denise Scott Brown
Denise Scott Brown (née Lakofski; born October 3, 1931) is an American architect, planner, writer, educator, and principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates in Philadelphia.
Early life and education
Born to Jewish parents Simon a ...
, architect
*
Frederick Winslow Taylor
Frederick Winslow Taylor (March 20, 1856 – March 21, 1915) was an American mechanical engineer. He was widely known for his methods to improve industrial efficiency. He was one of the first management consulting, management consultants. In 190 ...
, engineer, management theorist, and consultant
*
Marcus Tracy, professional soccer player with
Danish club
AaB
*
Pearl Van Sciver, artist
*
Robert Venturi
Robert Charles Venturi Jr. (June 25, 1925 – September 18, 2018) was an American architect, founding principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates.
Together with his wife and partner, Denise Scott Brown, he helped shape the way that ...
, architect
*
Jean Girard, race car driver
References
External links
Chestnut Hill Community AssociationChestnut Hill Business Association Chestnut Hill CollegeChestnut Hill Historical Society
{{Authority control
1854 establishments in Pennsylvania
Historic preservation in the United States
Neighborhoods in Philadelphia
Populated places established in 1704
Streetcar suburbs