Rodney Square

Rodney Square, named for Caesar Rodney, has been the symbolic center of Wilmington since the early 20th century. The area served as a reservoir from 1827 to 1877, and as the site of the New Castle County Courthouse from 1877 to 1919. Pierre S. du Pont envisioned a landscape adjacent to the DuPont headquarters that unified the new site through design and style. A juried competition in 1916, managed by du Pont’s assistant, John Jacob Raskob, and largely funded by Irénée du Pont, determined the design of the square, which included two fountains and twelve bronze lanterns. The Rodney Square District was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.