Logan Square

The original Northwest Square of Philadelphia provided burial plots, pasturage, and a place for public executions where a gallows stood until 1823. In 1825, the square was renamed for James Logan, who served as secretary to William Penn and chief justice to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Logan Square entered the 20th century with the adoption of Jacques Greber's Parkway plan of 1919. Greber, a French architect, created the final design for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, and like a jewel at its center he placed a remodeled Logan Square in his plan, making the Parkway a hub for some of Philadelphia's major cultural institutions.