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Two longtime fixtures inside The Rittenhouse hotel are preparing to close as the luxury property overlooking Rittenhouse Square begins a months-long makeover that will bring a new steakhouse, cocktail bar and redesigned public spaces.
The Library Bar will serve its last customers Oct. 31, while the Mary Cassatt Tea Room will pour its final afternoon tea Nov. 15, according to the hotel’s announcement.
Guests won’t have to check out for construction. The hotel itself will remain open throughout renovations, and its signature restaurant, Lacroix, will continue serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails.
Work is scheduled to begin Oct. 16, with construction limited to weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first new spaces are expected to debut in late spring 2027, though the hotel has not announced a completion date for the full project.
The news comes as a disappointment to Aviva Kaminsky, who said her family frequented the Mary Cassatt Tea Room.
“It’s wonderful and such a rare treat. Its closing is a huge loss for the city,” said Kaminsky. “We’re losing a jewel.”
Among the changes is the arrival of The Ruxton, a steakhouse from Baltimore-based Atlas Restaurant Group. The company plans a 220-seat restaurant with three private dining rooms, two bars and a seasonal outdoor patio overlooking the square.
The restaurant’s design will draw on the Jazz Age, featuring velvet upholstery, walnut woodwork and Murano-style glass chandeliers. Corporate chef Aaron Taylor will oversee a menu centered on steaks and seafood.
“We know how beloved these spaces are to our guests and the Philadelphia community, and we will maintain the same elevated spirit while enhancing the programming,” said The Rittenhouse in a statement to Billy Penn. “We’re thinking more intentionally about how guests can interact with the bar, lounge, and courtyard space to make them more accessible for events and socializing.”
The Ruxton will replace Scarpetta, the Italian restaurant that closed Jan. 31 after nearly a decade in the hotel. The new restaurant was announced in January, but the closure dates for the Library Bar and tea room add two more departures to the property’s overhaul.
The Library Bar has long offered cocktails, rare spirits and live music in a tucked-away setting. The Mary Cassatt Tea Room, named for the Pennsylvania-born impressionist painter, is known for afternoon tea, complete with an assortment of teas, pastries and savory bites.
In January, hotel spokesperson Cole Hernandez told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the changes reflected an effort to keep pace with a dining scene becoming “more vibrant, more interesting, and less formal and stuffy.”
The Rittenhouse, at 210 W. Rittenhouse Square, opened in 1989 and has undergone previous renovations, including upgrades to guest rooms and suites.
The hotel has not publicly disclosed the total cost of the latest overhaul.
For now, visitors have just over two weeks to order a final drink at the Library Bar and about a month for one last afternoon tea.
