Chestnut Street is a major historic street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. Originally named Wynne Street because Thomas Wynne

Thomas Wynne

Dr. Thomas Wynne was personal physician of William Penn and one of the original settlers of Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania. Born in Ysceifiog, Wales, where his family dated back seventeen generations to Owain Gwynedd,...

's home was there. William Penn

William Penn

William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...

 renamed it Chestnut Street in 1684. It runs east–west from the Delaware River

Delaware River

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...

 waterfront in downtown Philadelphia through Center City

Center City, Philadelphia

Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. As of 2005, its population of over 88,000 made it the third most populous downtown in the United States, after New York City's and Chicago's...

 and West Philadelphia

West Philadelphia

West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and...

. The road crosses the Schuylkill River

Schuylkill River

The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...

 on the Chestnut Street Bridge

Chestnut Street Bridge

The Chestnut Street Bridge is a bridge across the Schuylkill River that carries Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The original 1861 bridge was "a bridge whose scale and use of cast iron made it singular in the United States and throughout the world"...

. It serves as eastbound Pennsylvania Route 3

Pennsylvania Route 3

Pennsylvania Route 3 is a state highway located in the southeastern portion of Pennsylvania. The route connects West Chester with Philadelphia. The divided highway that comprises much of its route is the West Chester Pike, built as a turnpike by the Philadelphia and West Chester Turnpike Company...

 between 63rd and 38th Streets.

Points of interest

From east to west:

• Carpenters' Hall
  Carpenters' Hall
  Carpenters' Hall is a two-story brick building in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that was a key meeting place in the early history of the United States. Completed in 1773 and set back from Chestnut Street, the meeting hall was built for and is still owned by the...
  
  
• Second Bank of the United States
  Second Bank of the United States
  The Second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank of the United States lost its own charter. The Second Bank of the United States was initially headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the...
  
  
• Independence Hall
• Curtis Publishing Company
  Curtis Publishing Company
  The Curtis Publishing Company, founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, became one of the largest and most influential publishers in the United States during the early 20th century. The company's publications included the Ladies' Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post, The American Home,...
  
  
• Ben Franklin House
  Ben Franklin House
  The Ben Franklin House is an apartment building located at 834 Chestnut Street in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Originally opened in 1925 as the Benjamin Franklin Hotel, it was designed by Horace Trumbauer. In the mid-1980s the hotel was renovated and reopened as the Benjamin Franklin...
  
  , formerly the Benjamin Franklin Hotel
• Belgravia Hotel
  Belgravia Hotel
  The Belgravia Hotel, also known as Peale House, is a historic building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982...
  
  
• Drexel University
  Drexel University
  Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...