Head House Square
- Architect
- John Haviland
- City
- Philadelphia, PA
New Market — later known as Head House or Second Street Market — has stood on South 2nd Street since 1745, when mayor Edward Shippen and merchant Joseph Wharton founded it to compete with the established market on High (now Market) Street. The surviving shed, credited to architect John Haviland, was originally one of sixteen stalls set beneath two rows of brick pillars carrying a gable roof and arched ceiling over the open market floor known as the Shambles. It is one of the oldest surviving market buildings of its type in the nation and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.
the building
The Shambles. The open market floor was framed by two rows of brick pillars supporting a gable roof and arched ceiling, sheltering sixteen stalls where merchants sold goods — a simple structural formula sturdy enough to survive nearly three centuries of continuous use.
the architect
John Haviland, credited with the market's design, was a major American architect of the early 19th century; this modest market shed sits alongside the grander institutional commissions for which he's better known.
significance
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966, Head House Square is the centerpiece of its own historic district and one of the oldest surviving market buildings of its type in the country.
nearby
- New Market and Head House
- St. Peter's Episcopal Church
- Hill-Physick-Keith House
- Society Hill Towers
- Powel House
- Congregation B'nai Abraham