Secret Philly

Secret Philly takes you behind the scenes to places that are hidden — or just overlooked — around the city.

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Last Updated: May. 28, 2019 · 6:17 p.m.

Secret Philly: When Rittenhouse Square was the city’s Gayborhood

In the ‘50s and ‘60s, men who hung out south of the park were known as the “Spruce Street boys.”

The Brutalist structure was once considered revolutionary.

Buy them online to support local independent booksellers.

Bryn Mawr College and Princeton University were quarantine and social distancing early adopters.

The college was run by woman deans for nearly a century.

Take a selfie in a stagecoach and feel the weight of gold.

Grab a bottle from the champagne vending machine and check out the display.

Because she was Black, the contralto gained international renown before she was recognized in her native city.

The 235-pound minute hands have to be manually adjusted.

Jules Mastbaum amassed one of the world's greatest sculpture collections, then gifted it to the city.

Before it was docked on the Delaware, 115-year-old vessel sailed all over the world.

Thanks to a $300k grant, the archives housed at William Way are finally getting proper treatment.

Newt's swim spot was a community hub.

Stotesbury Mansion is home to a social club and an Emmy-winning series.

Male doctors performed operations in "The Dreaded Circular Room."

From rogues galleries to sketches of City Hall, it's all available on Spring Garden.

Today, the Northern Savings Fund building is finding new life as offices, exhibition space and (maybe) a speakeasy.

It could stem from William Penn's original "Centre Square" — or have to do with the metropolis' shifting borders.

This centuries-old institution is the latest in our Secret Philly series.