Dilworth Park

Dilworth Park is a public plaza on the west side of Philadelphia City Hall, transformed from an underperforming urban space into one of the city's most successful public gathering places through a comprehensive redesign completed in 2014. The park, named for former Mayor Richardson Dilworth, provides direct access to the underground SEPTA concourse while offering a programmable surface for events, a seasonal ice rink, and daily amenities that attract visitors throughout the year. The redesign, led by OLIN landscape architecture firm, demonstrates how thoughtful design can transform failing public spaces into beloved urban destinations.

Previous Conditions

The west side of City Hall had long underperformed as public space despite its prominent location at Philadelphia's symbolic center. The previous plaza, developed during the 1970s, featured elevated planters, concrete surfaces, and design decisions that created uncomfortable conditions for pedestrians. Homeless encampments, limited programming, and a generally inhospitable atmosphere led many Philadelphians to avoid the space entirely. The plaza's failure contrasted sharply with its potential as gateway to City Hall and connection point between Center City destinations.

The site's complexity contributed to its previous failure. The SEPTA concourse runs directly beneath the plaza, requiring coordination between surface improvements and underground infrastructure. Multiple city agencies shared responsibility for different aspects of the space. These institutional complexities, combined with limited resources for maintenance and programming, produced a plaza that nobody owned and everybody avoided. Transforming the space required not only physical redesign but also new institutional arrangements for management and programming.

Design Approach

OLIN's redesign simplified the plaza's surface while adding amenities that attract users throughout the year. The design removed the previous elevated planters in favor of a flush granite surface that accommodates diverse programming. A large interactive fountain, integrated into the plaza surface, provides water play during warm months before transforming into an ice skating rink each winter. Café seating, a lawn area, and improved lighting create conditions for casual use that the previous design prevented.

The design maintains and improves connections to the SEPTA concourse through a new glass headhouse that provides light and air to underground spaces. This transparent structure announces transit access while allowing riders to orient themselves to the surface city before descending. The improved connection demonstrates how surface design can enhance underground transit infrastructure, creating benefits that extend beyond the plaza's immediate users.

Programming

Active programming has proven essential to Dilworth Park's success. The Center City District, which manages the park under agreement with the city, coordinates a calendar of events that includes concerts, markets, fitness classes, and seasonal celebrations. The winter ice rink draws thousands of skaters and spectators; the summer fountain attracts families on hot days; year-round events provide reasons to visit beyond the park's passive amenities. This programming transforms the plaza from inert space into active destination.

The programming model demonstrates that successful public spaces require ongoing management and investment beyond initial construction. Beautiful design alone cannot create vibrant public spaces; active programming that brings people together provides the activity that makes spaces feel welcoming. Dilworth Park's management by Center City District ensures consistent attention and resources that fragmented public management might not provide, offering lessons about institutional arrangements for public space.

Transit Integration

Dilworth Park's integration with SEPTA's underground concourse makes it one of Philadelphia's most accessible public spaces. Regional Rail, the Market-Frankford Line, and the Broad Street Line all connect through the underground passages that the park's headhouse accesses. This transit connection brings potential users directly to the park's edge while providing convenient departure points for visitors arriving by other means. The relationship between park and transit demonstrates how public space can support transportation goals while transit supports public space activation.

The redesign improved the experience of transit users who pass through the underground concourse even without visiting the park above. Natural light from the headhouse brightens previously dim spaces; improved wayfinding helps riders navigate; and visible connection to the surface city makes underground travel less disorienting. These improvements demonstrate how surface design decisions affect underground experience, encouraging coordination between surface and transit planning that might otherwise proceed independently.

City Hall Setting

Dilworth Park's location at City Hall provides setting that amplifies its significance. John McArthur Jr.'s masterpiece provides architectural backdrop that no other plaza location could match, while the park's activity creates foreground that brings the historic building into contemporary urban life. The relationship between park and building demonstrates how public space can support landmark architecture while landmark architecture elevates public space.

The park's success has influenced perceptions of City Hall itself, making the building more accessible and welcoming than its imposing architecture might otherwise suggest. Visitors who encounter City Hall through Dilworth Park's active programming develop different relationships with the landmark than those who encounter it from traffic-dominated streets. The park thus serves interpretive function, introducing the building in ways that encourage engagement rather than intimidation.

See Also

• Philadelphia City Hall
• LOVE Park
• Center City District
• SEPTA
• Contemporary Landscape Architecture