Lenfest Plaza in the Convention Center District

New sculpture adds to the cultural offerings attendees experience in Philadelphia

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) unveiled its much-anticipated Lenfest Plaza, adding yet another asset to the already culturally rich Convention Center District. This open-air piazza is located directly across from the new Broad Street entrance to the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center, connecting attendees with Philadelphia’s famed museums along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the City’s Parkway Museums District.

The new space, dedicated on October 1, unifies the PAFA campus and serves as a metropolitan oasis filled with public art, trees and – coming soon -- interactive, changing exhibits. New cafés and restaurants are also planned additions to the area, making Lenfest Plaza an ideal location for a break during a meeting or convention at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The centerpiece of the plaza is a massive and impressive sculpture by Claes Oldenburg. The 51-foot high fiberglass Paint Torch leans at a gravity-defying 60-degree angle and points passers-by toward “Museum Mile” on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway -  home to Philadelphia Museum of Art, Academy of Natural Sciences, Rodin Museum, the Franklin Institute and, in May 2012, the much anticipated Barnes Foundation.

View a video of the installation of Paint Torch by Claes Oldenburg at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts on August 20, 2011.