Bright lights in a big city
The streets of Philadelphia have grown much brighter over the last year as the result of a $5.3 million project to improve lighting along a one-mile stretch of Benjamin Franklin Parkway. In addition to sidewalks and the road, more than a dozen monuments, sculptures and architectural landmarks have been highlighted along the city’s “museum mile,” which attracts more than 2.5 million visitors annually.
The Philadelphia Center City District (CCD), a non-profit business improvement district, began working with the city in 1996 to improve lighting downtown to make the area more appealing to residents and tourists at night. The previous light fixtures along Benjamin Franklin Parkway were installed in the 1960s and were unattractive and purely utilitarian, providing just enough illumination for drivers. Additionally, several different styles of roadway light fixtures lined the parkway, resulting in a mismatched appearance. Pedestrian lighting was virtually non-existent, which created dark spots that negatively affected tourists’ and residents’ perceptions of safety.
In 2002, the locally based Pew Charitable Trusts contacted CCD and offered to contribute $3 million to help finance lighting improvements in the downtown area. CCD then sought additional funding from other grant sources, including the state and private sources, eventually raising $5.3 million.
CCD contracted with locally based firms Cope Linder Architects and Grenald Waldron Associates to design the street lighting improvements. Working with the Philadelphia Streets Department, the Philadelphia Managing Director, and the Fairmount Park Commission, the group decided to install 222 metal-halide lamps in ornamental pedestrian-scale light fixtures by Palmdale, Calif.-based Sun Valley Lighting. Additionally, the group chose 132 high-pressure sodium lamps in ornamental roadway light fixtures by Spring City, Pa.-based Spring City Electrical Manufacturing. Construction began in August 2003, and by July 2004 all roadway and pedestrian lights were installed. Maintenance responsibilities for the fixtures are divided between CCD and the Philadelphia Streets Department.
The group also identified significant buildings, such as The Philadelphia Art Museum and The Franklin Institute, and sculptures, such as Auguste Rodin’s “The Thinker,” along the road that could benefit from lights. It contracted with locally based The Lighting Practice to design the specialized sculpture and building façade lights. By July, 12 statues and eight buildings had been lit, and CCD is seeking additional funding to illuminate more sculptures and landmarks.
On July 4th weekend, the city celebrated the project’s completion along with the city’s Independence Day festivities. With illumination levels now double or even triple what they once were, and with buildings and statues dramatically lit, CCD expects more tourists and residents will spend time enjoying the attractions on Benjamin Franklin Parkway and at night.