French Quarter

The U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has an "... area between 17th and 19th Streets" designated as the French Quarter in 1999. The officially designated area is between 17th and 18th Streets and Walnut and Sansom Streets. According to City Paper, the Philadelphia French Quarter "... is one of the few places outside France that supports a thriving French culture" even though "it remains largely unrecognized by both tourists and natives". The area is closely tied to the culture of Rittenhouse Square.HistoryIn 1999, in advance of the Republican National Convention the following year, the city added subtle orange signs saying "French Quarter" below the traditional green streets signs in the area. The designation is a tribute to the French culture that has shaped Philadelphia and is based on the establishment of three French restaurants and a creperie in the area in the 1990s.BackgroundPhiladelphia is historically rich with artifacts that are reminders of the French culture. "French Philadelphia", as the author puts it, is all around the city, from museums to Rittenhouse Square, which has the sculpture Lion Crushing a Serpent, by French sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye. Ben Franklin Parkway was "... designed in the early 20th century by Frenchmen Paul Cret and Jacques Gréber, who drew their inspiration from the Champs-Elysées". Logan Square and the Philadelphia Museum of Art were inspired by architecture found in Paris's Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe.