Dilworth Park
| Dilworth Park | |
|---|---|
 Dilworth Park with Claes Oldenburg's sculpture Clothespin seen across the street | |
Interactive map of Dilworth Park | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39°57′11″N 75°09′54″W / 39.953°N 75.165°W |
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Opened | September 4, 2014 |
| Operator | Center City District[1] |
| Status | Open |
Public transit | SEPTA |
Dilworth Park is a public park and open space along the western side of City Hall in Center City, Philadelphia. Originally built as Dilworth Plaza in the 1970s, the one-half-acre (0.20 ha) park was rebuilt as Dilworth Park and opened on September 4, 2014.
History
Creation as Dilworth Plaza
The land which Dilworth Park now occupies was previously part of the block to the west of Broad Street, and was occupied by the Pennsylvania Railroad's Broad Street Station from 1881 until its demolition in 1953.[2] In the 1970s, the land was annexed and connected to City Hall to create Dilworth Plaza, a pedestrian plaza built in the brutalist style.[3] Completed in 1977, the space was named after Richard Dilworth, a politician who twice served as mayor of Philadelphia and died in 1974, during the park's construction.[3] It was designed by Vincent Kling.[4]
Frank Rizzo, who was mayor of Philadelphia from 1972 to 1980, disliked Dilworth, and referred to the space exclusively as "West Plaza", despite City Council voting in 1973 to name it after Dilworth.[3]
Rebuilt as Dilworth Park
In 2007, planning and design work began to renovate Dilworth Plaza, with a groundbreaking on January 30, 2012.[5] Funding for the redesign was quoted at $50 million,[3] included $15 million from the United States Department of Transportation, $15.5 million from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,[5] and additional funding from the William Penn Foundation and the Knight Foundation. The park was redesigned by designed by KieranTimberlake, Urban Engineers and OLIN.[6]
The rebuilt and renamed Dilworth Park opened on September 4, 2014.[7] It featured reused granite from the original plaza, alongside new sloping glass pavilions which lead down to the subway concourse.[8] The space is managed by Center City District, a business improvement district, on a long-term lease with the city.[9]
Features
See also
References
- ↑ "CCD Parks". Center City District. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
- ↑ "The Changing Shape of Dilworth Plaza | KieranTimberlake". kierantimberlake.com. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Woodall, Peter (January 31, 2012). "Second Time's the Charm?". Hidden City Philadelphia. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ↑ Maule, Bradley (January 13, 2014). "On Vincent Kling, 1916–2013". Hidden City Philadelphia. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
- 1 2 "Dilworth Park Celebrates 10th Anniversary". centercityphila.org. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ↑ Saffron, Inga (September 8, 2014). "Dilworth Park has many irresistible features, but it's stiff, uncomfortable". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
- ↑ Hepp, Chris; Nussbaum, Paul (September 4, 2014). "Dilworth Park, transformed into a beckoning public realm, officially opens". Inquirer.com. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ↑ Hahn, Ashley. "Spotted: 10 Dilworth Details". WHYY. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Dilworth Park". centercityphila.org. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
- ↑ McCutcheon, Lauren (September 25, 2014). "Coffee Break: Rosa Blanca Dilworth Park". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
- ↑ Hepp, Chris (October 17, 2014). "Ice skating coming soon to Dilworth Park". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2014.
- ↑ d'Auria Ryley, Thérèse (June 27, 2016). "Learning From Dilworth Park's Water Magic". Hidden City Philadelphia. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
- ↑ "Dining in Dilworth Park". centercityphila.org. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
Further reading
- Dunn, Mary Maples; Dunn, Richard S. (1982). "The Founding, 1681–1701". In Weigley, Russell F.; Wainwright, Nicholas B.; Wolf, Edwin II (eds.). Philadelphia: A 300 Year History. New York: W. W. Norton. pp. 7–16. ISBN 978-0-393-01610-9.
