Rittenhouse

Rittenhouse may refer to:

People with Rittenhouse surname

Places

Other

Rye whiskey

Rye whiskey can refer to either of two, different, but related, types of whiskey:

American rye whiskey

In the United States, "rye whiskey" is, by law, made from a mash of at least 51 percent rye. (The other ingredients of the mash are usually corn and malted barley.) It is distilled to no more than 160 (U.S.) proof (80% abv), and aged in charred, new oak barrels. The whiskey must be put into such barrels at not more than 125 (U.S.) proof (62.5% abv). Rye whiskey that has been so aged for at least two years may be further designated as "straight", as in "straight rye whiskey".

Rittenhouse Square

Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia. The park is widely considered one of the finest urban public spaces in the United States.

The square cuts off 19th Street at Walnut Street and also at a half block above Manning Street. Its boundaries are 18th Street to the East, Walnut St. to the north, Rittenhouse Square West (a north-south boundary street), and Rittenhouse Square South (an east-west boundary street), making the park approximately two short blocks on each side.

Originally called Southwest Square, Rittenhouse Square was renamed in 1825 after David Rittenhouse, a descendant of the first paper-maker in Philadelphia, the German immigrant William Rittenhouse. William Rittenhouse's original paper-mill site is known as Rittenhousetown, located in the rural setting of Fairmount Park along Paper Mill Run. David Rittenhouse was a clockmaker and friend of the American Revolution, as well as a noted astronomer; a lunar crater is named after him.

Rittenhouse Hotel

The Rittenhouse is a luxury hotel in Philadelphia offering guest rooms and specialty suites located on Rittenhouse Square. In addition to accommodations, The Rittenhouse is home to two restaurants, two bars and a tea room.

History

At the turn of the 20th century, railroad tycoon A.J. Cassatt and his wife Lois Buchanan Cassatt built on the site. The building was sold to the Episcopal Church of Pennsylvania and made into their headquarters. Later it became the Academy of Notre Dame, a private school for boys and girls. Finally, in the 1960s the property was slated to become a hotel.

Architect Donald Reiff drew the plans for the building that would become The Rittenhouse. Construction began in the early 1970s and after over a decade of construction, the hotel opened its doors to guests in 1989. The design focused on showcasing the imagery of Rittenhouse Square, angling the windows to offer each room a direct view of the square below. Much of the hotel’s original design is still intact today and it has been renovated and modernized throughout the past 25 years.