Editing LOVE Park (section)

== Original Design ==

Vincent Kling designed the original JFK Plaza as part of the Penn Center development in the late 1960s, creating a modernist plaza that provided public space at the important intersection where the Benjamin Franklin Parkway meets the city grid. The design featured a multi-level layout with a sunken central area, fountain, and varied surfaces intended to accommodate different activities. The plaza's name honored President John F. Kennedy, whose assassination in 1963 prompted memorials throughout the country.<ref name="hine">{{cite book |last=Hine |first=Thomas |title=A Guide to Contemporary Architecture in Philadelphia |year=2009 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

The LOVE sculpture arrived in 1976 as part of the city's Bicentennial celebration, when Robert Indiana's work was temporarily installed in the plaza that would eventually adopt its name. The sculpture's popularity led to its return as permanent installation in 1978, transforming a modernist plaza into an iconic destination. The sculpture's stacked letters, rendered in red and blue against a green background, became one of Philadelphia's most recognizable symbols, appearing in countless photographs and reproductions.<ref name="gallery"/>