Rittenhouse Hotel

Rittenhouse Hotel is a luxury hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, located beside Rittenhouse Square. The property is associated with the Greenwood Group and is listed among The Leading Hotels of the World. Its identity is closely tied to its Center City location, the historic square-facing setting, and a design that gives guest rooms angled views toward the park. The building on the hotel site predates the hotel by many decades. In 1900, railroad executive Alexander Cassatt and his wife, Lois Buchanan Cassatt, constructed the building that occupied the site. The property was later sold to the Episcopal Church of Pennsylvania, which used it as its headquarters, and subsequently became the Academy of Notre Dame, a private school. By the 1960s, plans were being considered to convert the property into a hotel. Architect Donald Reiff prepared the hotel plans, and construction began in the early 1970s. The project took more than a decade to complete, and the hotel opened to guests in 1989. Its original architectural concept emphasized direct visual connections with Rittenhouse Square: windows were angled so that rooms could look toward the square below. Much of the initial design remained in place after later modernization work. The hotel has 118 guest rooms and 25 suites. Reported room sizes range from approximately 450 to 600 square feet, while suites range from about 650 to 2,000 square feet. These accommodations form the core of the property’s offering, complemented by the services and public spaces expected of a luxury urban hotel. The available reference material does not identify a separate parent company, owner, executive team, room-service brand, restaurant brand, or independently operated international network. A renovation and modernization was completed most recently in 2019, according to the reference material. The work updated the property while preserving substantial elements of its original design. The hotel’s positioning is therefore based on a combination of luxury accommodation, historic Philadelphia context, a prominent park-side address, and membership in an international luxury-hotel collection rather than on a broad branded chain footprint. Its documented operating presence is Philadelphia, and no evidence in the supplied material establishes additional markets or a wider chain of Rittenhouse-branded properties.

The history of Rittenhouse Hotel begins with the building that stood on its present site before the hotel existed. In 1900, railroad tycoon Alexander Cassatt and his wife, Lois Buchanan Cassatt, constructed the building beside Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. The site subsequently changed institutional uses. It was sold to the Episcopal Church of Pennsylvania, which made the building its headquarters, and later became the Academy of Notre Dame, a private school. During the 1960s, the property was identified as a potential hotel site. Architect Donald Reiff prepared plans for the proposed Rittenhouse Hotel, but the development did not proceed quickly. Construction began in the early 1970s and continued for more than ten years, making the project a notably long transition from institutional property to luxury hotel. The completed hotel opened to guests in 1989. The architectural concept emphasized the hotel’s relationship with Rittenhouse Square. Windows were angled to provide rooms with direct views toward the square, giving the park a central role in the guest experience and the property’s visual identity. The reference material indicates that much of the original design was retained through subsequent renovation and modernization work. The completed property contains 118 guest rooms and 25 suites. Guest rooms are reported to measure approximately 450 to 600 square feet, while suites range from about 650 to 2,000 square feet. This accommodation mix supports the hotel’s position as a large luxury property within a dense urban setting, serving both overnight guests and visitors seeking a high-end Philadelphia base. The hotel is described as having been developed by Greenwood Group and as one of The Leading Hotels of the World. The supplied sources do not establish the precise ownership structure, operating company, founding individual, or current executive leadership. They also do not document a broader portfolio of Rittenhouse-branded hotels. The property’s known identity remains that of a single luxury hotel in Philadelphia. The most recent renovation identified in the reference material took place in 2019. That modernization updated the property while leaving much of the original design intact. The hotel’s documented evolution is therefore one of adaptive reuse and preservation combined with periodic modernization: a private residence-era building became church headquarters, then a school, and ultimately a luxury hotel whose contemporary brand rests on its location, architecture, room scale, and connection to Rittenhouse Square.

• 2019

  Modernization completed

  [1]Rittenhouse Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The property underwent its most recently documented renovation and modernization, while retaining much of its original design.

• 1989

  Hotel opens

  [1]Rittenhouse Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  After more than a decade of construction, Rittenhouse Hotel opened to guests.

• 1970

  Hotel construction begins

  [1]Rittenhouse Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Architect Donald Reiff drew plans for the hotel, and construction began in the early 1970s.

• 1960

  Hotel redevelopment considered

  [1]Rittenhouse Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1960s, the property was slated for transformation into a hotel.

• 1900

  Original building constructed

  [1]Rittenhouse Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Alexander Cassatt and Lois Buchanan Cassatt constructed the building on the present hotel site beside Rittenhouse Square.

• Institutional use by the Episcopal Church of Pennsylvania

  [1]Rittenhouse Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The property was sold to the Episcopal Church of Pennsylvania and used as its headquarters.

• Conversion to a private school

  [1]Rittenhouse Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The building later became the Academy of Notre Dame, a private school.

Luxury urban hospitality centered on a historic Philadelphia location, park-facing views, spacious rooms and suites, and affiliation with The Leading Hotels of the World.

• Hotel accommodation · 1989

  Guest rooms

  The hotel has 118 guest rooms. Reported room sizes range from approximately 450 to 600 square feet. A defining feature of the original design is the angled placement of windows, intended to provide direct views toward Rittenhouse Square.

• Hotel accommodation · 1989

  Suites

  Rittenhouse Hotel offers 25 suites, with reported sizes ranging from approximately 650 to 2,000 square feet. The suites extend the property’s luxury positioning through larger accommodations and the same central Philadelphia, park-adjacent setting.

• 2019

  Property renovation and modernizationOther

  Background

  The hotel retained much of its original design after opening, but later updates were required to modernize the property.

  Action taken

  The hotel underwent a renovation and modernization, identified as its most recent major update in the supplied reference.

  Aftermath

  The property continued operating with its original park-facing architectural concept substantially preserved.

  Source

• 1970

  Development of a luxury hotel on the siteStrategy

  Background

  After the property had served as a church headquarters and private school, plans were developed during the 1960s to convert the site into a hotel.

  Action taken

  Donald Reiff prepared the hotel plans, and construction began in the early 1970s.

  Aftermath

  The project ultimately produced the Rittenhouse Hotel, which opened to guests in 1989.

  Source

1. 1Rittenhouse Hotelen.wikipedia.org