Germantown Avenue's pre-grid diagonal route (Cliveden)

Germantown Avenue follows an old Lenape trail and early colonial road linking Philadelphia and Germantown, predating William Penn's 1682 rectangular grid. Because it cuts across the city's later street grid, Germantown Avenue produces numerous irregular intersections and diagonal blocks in northwest Center City and Germantown. Cliveden (the Chew House), a Revolutionary War era historic house, stands on Germantown Avenue and illustrates the road's long continuous use.