At the foot of City Hall and the hub of Philadelphia’s transit center, Dilworth Park has become an iconic destination in the heart of the city. Prior to renovation, Dilworth Park lacked accessible space and was divided by a series of raised and sunken terraces and blind stairways. OLIN developed a universally accessible common plaza through the elimination of stairs and walls. The new design brings the entire plaza to street level creating a contemporary public space worthy of its prominent location at City Hall. The park is constructed over Philadelphia’s transit lines and is framed by the addition of two elegant glass pavilions that create a sculptural and daylit entry to the city transit concourses below.
Dilworth Park is designed as both a relaxing refuge in Center City as well as a destination for major events. Signature park elements include the plaza, a lawn parterre for informal gathering, sinuous stonework detailing and an interactive fountain. The fountain emerges from the plaza providing a seamless scalability to the park with basins that shrink or enlarge according to the park’s activity. In the winter the fountain transforms to an ice rink providing year round enjoyment. Integrated into the fountain is artist Janet Echelman’s Pulse, a kinetic representation of the transit lines, which signal their passage through illuminated ribbons of atomized fog rising through air. OLIN collaborated with Urban Engineers, KieranTimberlake and CVM Engineers to create this vibrant and comfortable public space that establishes Dilworth Park as a welcoming space to all.
