#TBT: Rittenhouse Square Parking Garage

By now we’re sure you’ve noticed we like taking a glance into the past. It’s always enlightening to briefly glimpse backward to realize the how times changed.

As we sifted through vintage pictures of the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s (PPA) history for this month’s #TBT, we came across this one. And no — that’s not Uncle Fester with the blowtorch; it’s former PPA Chairman, Francis J. Chesterman.

In December 1953, the PPA opened its doors to the Rittenhouse Square Garage at 1845 Walnut Street. Flanked by Managing Director, Howard T. Scott (left) and Mayor Joseph S. Clark, Jr. (right),  Chesterman  officially opened the garage for public use. The garage took less than a year to complete and it’s still standing strong to this day. In fact, now it’s a privately-owned valet parking garage for apartments in Rittenhouse Square.

So there you have it — another peak into the PPA’s history. In the future, check out what our current garages have to offer. Many of them offer parking discounts and are convenient for when you need to park in Center City, Old City and other popular areas of the city.

Yet again, we’d like to thank Margery Sly, Director of the Special Collections Research Center at Temple University, for allowing us to share another gem of the PPA’s history.