Pennsylvania Convention Center Expansion: Catalyst To Philadelphia’s Future Growth

PHILADELPHIA, PA…March 4, 2011…The expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center has sparked growth throughout its neighborhood of the Convention Center District. Exciting new public spaces are springing up around the new second entrance to the Center on the Avenue of the Arts (North Broad Street) -- from the Lenfest Plaza on Cherry Street, which will serve as a cultural gateway to Philadelphia’s Museum Mile, to the area surrounding City Hall. Lenfest Plaza, a pedestrian-friendly piazza, will link the Convention Center to some of the city’s most popular attractions, enhancing the experience of convention and tradeshow attendees as well as international visitors. Moreover, the Convention Center is serving as a catalyst to growth at existing institutions, from hotels and art museums to Temple University.

The $787 million dollar expansion of the Convention Center will increase the size of the building by 62%.  It is now the 14th largest facility in the nation with the ability to hold two meetings or conventions simultaneously and mega tradeshows and has the largest exhibit space and ballroom in the Northeast. This new orientation toward the crossroads of the city will cement North Broad Street’s role as a vital element to the city’s economic infrastructure. It is home to arts venues, eateries, government, financial institutions and media.  The walkability of Philadelphia further enhances the Convention Center experience. A few steps out of the door will lead visitors to a plethora of cultural offerings, nightlife and a world-famous dining scene.

“Like a rock thrown out into a pond, the work we’re doing at the Center is rippling out and having a positive impact on our neighbors,” said Ahmeenah Young, president and chief executive officer, Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority.
“It is gratifying that the Convention Center is having such a positive impact on the surrounding neighborhood.”

 “All of these new developments, from park-like walkways to new hotels, are making Philadelphia an even better, more accessible destination for conventions, trade shows, visitors and residents”  said Jack Ferguson, president and CEO, Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, whose organization has secured $2.7 billion in future Convention Center expansion bookings to date.

The growth of the Convention Center is a catalyst to:

New Lenfest Plaza Pedestrian Plaza – In the fall of 2011, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) will unveil the Lenfest Plaza on Cherry Street, which will link three internationally-acclaimed art institutions – PAFA, the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), and The Barnes Foundation (opening May 2012), which help comprise the Parkway Museums District. The collection at PAFA, the nation’s oldest art museum and art school, includes works by America’s greatest artists such as Mark Rothko and Georgia O’Keefe.

The Plaza, which will stand between the Historic Landmark and Samuel M.V. Hamilton buildings on the PAFA campus, will run from North Broad to Carlisle streets. The beautifully landscaped area will have outdoor seating; feature a 53-foot high sculpture in the form of a paintbrush and specially-commissioned for the space by world-renowned artist Claes Oldenburg, as well as changing exhibits. Convention attendees, art students, visitors and Philadelphians alike will flock to this urban oasis brimming with trees, cafes and outdoor dining. An upscale restaurant on the ground floor of the Hamilton Building will overlook the plaza. The welcoming space will be open 24 hours a day for relaxing, as a walkway to museums and as a venue for special events.

In addition, the Plaza will provide easy access from the Convention Center to the science and other museums along the international-flag-lined Benjamin Franklin Parkway, also called “Museum Mile.”

Just down the Champs-Élysées–style Parkway is the PMA, the third-largest art museum in the United States, which is home to more than a half-million works, including a collection of French Impressionists, a full scale Japanese tea house and an impressive wing of Modern Art. And, completing the trio will be the Barnes, one of the finest private collections of early French-Modern and Post Impressionist paintings in the world.

Also debuting this year is the first Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), April 7-May 1. Attendees will experience more than 30 newly commissioned works, classical performances and exhibits as well as innovative partnerships featuring local and international artists that explore traditional and emerging art forms in music, dance, theater and film.

New Life Sciences Programming – With 50% of all conventions and meetings held in Philadelphia being life sciences-related, in addition to providing this seamless connection between cultural areas, PAFA will present new exhibitions focused on life sciences. The first, called Anatomy/Academy, Jan. 29 - April 10, 2011, is focusing on how Philadelphia’s dynamic art and science communities have fostered knowledge of the human body. An extensive array of public programming will accompany the exhibition, including partnerships with local science institutions.

From April 15-18, the city will celebrate its inaugural Philadelphia Science Festival. For an entire week, Philadelphia will connect universities, museums and libraries with the public to explore the past, present and future of science and technology with more than 200 events. The Franklin Institute, which is just blocks from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, is one of the flagship locations for this citywide event.

New North Broad Street Lighting – In addition to the special lighting displays draping the expansion entrance on North Broad St., the Avenue of the Arts, Inc. plans to restore the avenue to its former prominence, with a string of 55-foot iconic light towers that will create a glow for pedestrians and vehicles and even be visible from the air. It is destined to become a nighttime landmark of the city. The first phase of the plan calls for a four-mile promenade of light tying City Hall and the Convention Center to Temple University and neighborhoods to the north by 2012.

Renovated City Hall’s Dilworth Plaza – The area surrounding Philadelphia’s recently-renovated City Hall is undergoing its own $50 million renovation project. Dilworth Plaza -- the outdoor area at the heart of Center City Philadelphia between the Convention Center, Avenue of the Arts and the beginning of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway -- will be transformed into a vibrant green civic space for visitors, workers and residents scheduled for completion by 2013. One of the biggest developments to the plaza will be a glass pavilion that directs commuters into SEPTA’s blue and orange subways lines and lights up the subway and park at night. Plans call for shady seating areas, an outdoor café and a programmable fountain. The space, which will be accessible from the street without stairs or ramps, will be designed to host special events ranging from concerts to outdoor markets and from ice skating to movies.

New Hotels – The expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center has been the impetus to the opening of several new hotels and renovation of many existing properties. The 202-room Le Méridien Philadelphia opened in May. Located within arms reach of the Convention Center, the new 4-star hotel boasts a grand ballroom, high-tech conference rooms, state-of-the-art business center and a bar/restaurant. The 230-room Hotel Palomar Philadelphia by Kimpton, as well as the 135-room aloft Hotel at the Philadelphia International Airport, and a 92-room Four Points Hotel near the Convention Center, opened to rave reviews in 2009.

Hotel Palomar and its restaurant Square 1682 were recently awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification at the Gold level by the U.S. Green Building Council. This marks the first LEED-certified hotel and restaurant in Philadelphia.

Almost a dozen hotels are embarking on major upgrades to guest rooms, technology, meeting rooms and restaurants, including the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. An additional 1,500 rooms are expected by 2014. Kimpton Hotels has also acquired the Lafayette Building overlooking Independence Hall and is under agreement to convert the 11-story, 195,000-square foot historic building into 270-room Hotel Monaco. It is expected to open in 2012.

New Culinary Hot Spots – Some of our city’s most highly acclaimed chefs and restaurateurs are also expanding along North Broad Street along with the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Inside a former auto showroom, two culinary heavyweights are neighboring up into what will become a ‘must’ for visitors, convention goers and Philadelphians alike. Marc Vetri, winner of a James Beard Award and named by Food and Wine as one of the Ten Best New Chefs is the owner of three Philadelphia restaurants: Vetri, Amis and Osteria. His latest project inside 600 North Broad Street is Birreria 60, an Italian pub and wine bar.  Vetri’s neighbor is none other than Philadelphia celebrity restaurateur Stephen Starr. He is best known for such Philadelphia staples as the Continental Midtown, Buddakan, Barclay Prime, Morimoto and Parc. Famous for vibrant atmospheres, Starr sets out to make another can’t-miss dining experience.  He’ll premier Route 6, a New England-style seafood house just steps from the Convention Center at 600 North Broad.

Connecting to Temple University – Temple University, just blocks from the Convention Center, plans to spend $1.2 billion mostly to develop its North Broad Street corridor, including building a new flagship library, science research building and academic building as well as a high-rise residence hall with campus dining and retail space.

All of the growth ignited by the Pennsylvania Convention Center is creating a sparkling new hub of activity in the Convention Center District in Center City Philadelphia. It is now easier than ever for convention and tradeshow attendees, as well as international visitors to walk from the Convention Center to their hotels, activities and cultural attractions. The Lenfest Plaza and Dilworth Plaza, in particular, not only serve as welcoming public spaces, but also act as walkable links between the Convention Center and arts, culture, life sciences and business institutions in Philadelphia.


Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), www.PhiladelphiaUSA.travel, a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The PCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has departments dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets.

The Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority manages the largest investment in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Expansion opens in March 2011 with 62% more space than before (one million square feet). The 14th-largest convention center in the United States has a focus on the best customer service and state-of-the-art technology in the industry. www.paconvention.com.