Setting

St. Peter’s School is a school with a stimulating setting. We feel strongly that being in the city exposed to its opportunities, variety, beauty, and it’s history, is of value.

Our Neighborhood

Society Hill exhibits 300 years of evolution of domestic architecture in Philadelphia and brings into play a present that is historic yet recognizably modern. Its streets, which contain the largest concentration of 18th and early 19th century buildings in the country, illustrate the course of mid-20th century urban design. Society Hill’s blocks follow the grid pattern of the 1682 plan for Philadelphia designated by Sir Thomas Holme (William Penn’s surveyor general) which ordained that they “shall for Ever continue as they are now laid out and regulated.” Society Hill received its official historic designation in January 1999.

The district derives its name from the Free Society of Traders in Pennsylvania, a company chartered by William Penn in 1682 to foster commercial development of the colony. Penn granted the Free Society a parcel of land overlooking Dock Creek at Front Street, known as “the Society’s Hill.” This name prevailed even after the demise of the Free Society itself in 1723 and continued to identify the community throughout the 18th century. When the neighborhood was revitalized under the covenants of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority beginning in 1958, the name “Society Hill” was chosen to honor its colonial roots.

Preserving the Past

Society Hill retains the harmony, scale, materials and rhythm of row house construction and the original pattern of streets from the City Charter of 1701, altered only by the area’s major redevelopment plans of the late 1950’s and 1960’s.

Society Hill As We Know It Today

Changes in the physical development, reliance on the Delaware River for commerce and trade, ethnic and cultural diversity, and economic health shaped Society Hill. Today we can see evidence of a neighborhood that exemplifies William Penn’s tolerance for religious freedom as well as the remnants of a thriving commercial area. Society Hill is a diverse community integrating historic and contemporary buildings, businesses, and lifestyles.