Newsletter 3

Fairmount Park Conservancy

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East Park near Lemon Hill

Fairmount Park E-NEWS

ISSUE 3

 

The Mountain of Boulders and the Missing Mercury Pavilion: East Park Construction

If you’ve been anywhere near the Art Museum or the Water Works lately it’s been hard to miss all the activity. The construction going on there will bring some exciting changes to the landscape of Fairmount Park in that area, including a sculpture garden and a "new" cliffside pavilion at the Water Works.

First, that mountain of boulders… The Philadelphia Museum of Art is constructing a below-grade parking facility and rooftop sculpture garden between the Azalea Garden and the Museum’s west entrance. Funded by the Art Museum and designed by Atkin Olshin Schade and Olin Partnership, this new parking facility will accommodate around 400 vehicles. The top of the new parking facility will be a landscaped outdoor public sculpture garden that will command excellent views of the Azalea Garden and the Schuykill River. Click here to see the design. The existing parking area adjacent to the Azalea Garden will be removed with room for additional parking being made at the Italian Fountain and in a newly contructed parking area between Water Works Drive and the River. This new parking area will include environmental features such as pervious paving and an adjacent rain garden to manage stormwater runoff. Several improvements to the area will be created in the future as part of the overall project, and will be funded by the City of Philadelphia. The most dramatic of these new amenities will be pedestrian access to the “silt peninsula” in the Schuykill River across from Lloyd Hall. A channel will be dredged between the peninsula and the river wall and the newly created island will be accessed by a pedestrian bridge with seating and interpretive signage. Invasive vegetation on the island will be removed and plant density will be thinned to open views to the river and the adjacent park area and recreation path. The newly established island is envisioned as a place for environmental education and quiet contemplation. Other public amenities in the area will include an interactive water feature and children’s themed sculture area between the existing Water Works Drive parking area and the river wall. For a full description of the landscaped parking project and the planned improvements to the area click here.

The Cliffside at the Water Works is also full of activity. This work is part of the final phase of improvements to Water Works landscape spearheaded by the Fairmount Park Conservancy and The Women for the Water Works and will complement the already restored South Garden and Central Cliffs Path. Presently, the North and South Cliffside Paths are being excavated and re-graded. They will be then be restored with new paving, lighting, and ornamental railings similar to the Central Path. The popular Mercury Pavilion is also being overhauled. Non-historic portions of its base and structure are being removed and replaced with improved, historically accurate features. Its canopy is also being restored. The scaffolding that can be seen along the cliffs at the South Garden is part of the preparation for a “new” addition to the Water Works landscape – the Rustic Pavilion Missing from the landscape since the early part of the 20th century, this pavilion dates to the mid 1800’s and sat perched on the cliff directly above the South Garden. Originally constructed using tree limbs and thatch roofing, the new Rustic Pavilion will be made from special “weathering” steel that will mimic the rustic feeling and will include a roof of trained Japanese hydrangea. Construction is slated to completed in Fall of 2008. For more information on the final phase improvements to the Water Works landscape including renderings of the new Rustic Pavilion click here.

 

Michael Nutter to be Honored with First Annual Centennial Award

The Fairmount Park Conservancy will be honoring Mayor Nutter for his dedication to the stewardship of Fairmount Park and his vision for Philadelphia to reclaim its reputation as a “greene countrie towne” and America’s most sustainable community.

The Fairmount Park Conservancy created the Centennial Award to recognize individuals or groups dedicated to the future of the city through appreciation of Fairmount Park as one of the region’s foremost treasures. The award is named after the historic 1876 Centennial Exhibition, which was hosted in Fairmount Park and welcomed over nine million people. The Exhibition established Fairmount Park as an international destination.

For more information on the Centennial Exposition click here. A master plan for a Centennial District, which re-imagines the grounds of the exhibit as one destination encompassing the Philadelphia Zoo, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and the Please Touch Museum, was completed in 2005. Activities aimed at bringing the Centennial District to fruition are under way. For more information on the Centennial District click here.

The 2008 inaugural award takes the shape of a tree to signify the growth and potential of the Park system and represents the vitality Fairmount Park brings to the Philadelphia region.

Mayor Michael A. Nutter has been a champion of Fairmount Park since his years as a 4th District Councilman. In his new role as Mayor of the fifth largest city in the country, Mayor Nutter has pledged to increase the Park’s funding sources, to build on the Park’s importance as a regional asset and views Fairmount Park as the keystone for Philadelphia’s new commitment to a sustainable environmental plan.

“We have here in Philadelphia one of the finest urban park systems in the United States of America,” said Mayor Nutter. “Fairmount Park's natural beauty, recreational assets and cultural institutions, are some of the main reasons people live in this city, businesses locate here and tourists come to visit. I want to encourage all Philadelphians to visit the park and encourage those in the business community to continue to support the park and to take part in fulfilling its promise of renewal for the city and the region.”

Mayor Nutter will be presented the Centennial Award at a gala dinner honoring him on March 11, 2008, at the Rittenhouse Hotel. The Fairmount Park Conservancy is proud to have law firm Wolf Block as the Centre Sponsor.

Other sponsors for the 2008 gala as of February 11, 2008, include (Rittenhouse Sponsors) PECO, an Exelon Company; and Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP; (Washington Sponsors) Accenture; Aqua America; BINSWANGER; Blank Rome; Brasler Properties; Richard Brown; Citizen’s Bank; Comcast Family of Companies; Commerce Bank; Cross Atlantic Partners; Diversified Search LLC; Independence Blue Cross; Janney Montgomery Scott LLC; KPMG; H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest; Liberty Property Trust; Masonry Preservation Group, Inc.; PA Real Estate Investment Trust; PricewaterhouseCoopers; Public Finance Management; Rohm & Haas Company; Shire Pharmaceuticals; The Phillies; Urban Engineers; and U.S. Facilities, Inc.

Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell was previously honored by the Fairmount Park Conservancy for his leadership in promoting the Park system at a gala dinner in 2005. A grove of trees named for Governor Rendell in the Park’s Centennial District will be dedicated in April 2008.

The Fairmount Park Conservancy has undertaken a number of initiatives to accomplish its mission of raising funds and awareness for the Park system. They include the restoration of the Fairmount Water Works South Garden and Cliff Paths, the Women for the Water Works, the Growing the Neighborhood program, the restoration of the Boxers’ Trail, environmental and parks-based education, and the facilitation of the Centennial District. The Conservancy is also continually dedicated to identifying entrepreneurial opportunities within the Park system in order to increase and diversify funding to support capital projects.

 

It's Not Too Early to Think Spring......Cleanup

The 13th annual “Philadelphia Cares about Fairmount Park Day” is coming to a park near you on Saturday, May 17th from 9:00 a.m. until noon. Philadelphia Cares about Fairmount Park is a collaborative effort of Greater Philadelphia Cares and the Fairmount Park Commission. The purpose of the day is to focus public awareness on the tremendous asset and resource that we all share in Fairmount Park, to accomplish much needed park beautification projects, and to strengthen and expand community support for the parks. The day also promises to be fun and rewarding!

Last spring, nearly 1,100 volunteers turned-out to work at 45 sites across the parks. Individuals from 100 area corporations, service organizations, and non-profits joined 45 Fairmount Park partners to make the day a great success. In one morning, citizens donated 3,300 volunteer hours to beautify the Fairmount Park system. Our goal this year is to engage 2,000 volunteers in citizen service in the parks on May 17th.
Join hundreds of volunteers from across the Greater Philadelphia region, as they roll up their sleeves to repair trails, remove invasive vegetation, plant, paint, and clean up the city’s largest playground, Fairmount Park. Volunteers can choose from more than 40 projects all across the park system. The event is rain or shine, hopefully shine!

Please call 215-564-4544 or e-mail volunteer@gpcares.com to find a project site near you or sign up online at www.gpcares.com. Looking forward to seeing you in the parks on May 17!

 

Ohio House Gets New Lease on Life as The Centennial Cafe

Between Belmont Plateau and the Mann Music Center at the corner of Montgomery Drive and Belmont Avenue, there stands a unique piece of Philadelphia history that is now also a great place for coffee and sandwiches.

Built by the State of Ohio for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition to showcase the state's industrial capability and natural resources, the Ohio House is the only state building left from the Centennial Exposition. Empty for years, it has been carefully restored through the vision of the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust. The exterior stonework features 21 different Ohio sandstones with inscriptions indicating the source quarries. Inside the Café are many period prints from the Exposition. The Centennial Café serves a full menu of sandwiches, paninis and salads and even has a smoker out back for its specialty: smoked brisket.Hours: M-F 6:30 AM-4 PM / Sat & Sun 8AM-4PM www.centennialcafe.net

About The Centennial Exhibition
In 1876, a massive international exhibition, to celebrate 100 years of American cultural and industrial progress was staged in the newly formed Fairmount Park. Staged on a 285-acre tract of Fairmount Park in what is now the vicinity of Parkside and Belmont Avenues, this first major Worlds’ Fair hosted 37 nations and countless industrial exhibits occupying over 250 individual pavilions. The Exhibition was immensely popular, drawing over 9 million visitors at a time when the population of the United States was 46 million and Philadelphia was a fast-growing city of 800,000. Intended as a temporary event, much of the exhibition was dismantled by 1877. Only two buildings remain: Memorial Hall (soon to be the Please Touch Museum) and the Ohio House. A scale model of the entire exposition is housed at Memorial Hall and will continue to be available for public viewing with the opening of the Please Touch Museum in 2008. You can learn more about the Centennial Exposition by visiting the Free Library’s excellent on-line resource here.

A Master Plan for a Centennial District, which re-imagines the grounds of the Exhibit as one destination encompassing the Philadelphia Zoo, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and the Please Touch Museum (Memorial Hall) was completed in 2005. Activities aimed at bringing the Centennial District to fruition are under way. You can also learn more about the Centennial District plans by visiting the Fairmount Park Conservancy’s website here.

 

Fox Chase: Farming the Big City

Where can you find 112 acres of gently sloping agricultural fields farmed since the days of William Penn that still maintain a 19th Century feel? ....Fairmount Park, of course.

Situated in the northeast section of Philadelphia along the boundary with Montgomery County and bordered to south by Pennypack Park, Fox Chase Farm is an educational and demonstration farm operated through a cooperative partnership between the Fairmount Park Commission and the School District of Philadelphia. In addition to a resident family farmer and a full complement of livestock, Fox Chase also boasts a full schedule of public events including Applefest, Sheap Shearing, and Maple Sugar Day. The farm also has a committed core of volunteers and an active 4-H club. Frequent weekday school groups are guided by knowledgeable student guides and learn about farming methods, animal care, and where our food ultimately comes from. For those folks less-agriculturally inclined, the farm boasts beautiful views and bucolic vistas that provide a welcome respite from the bustle of the city.

Fox Chase Farm is hosting its annual Maple Sugar Day on Saturday March 1st 12 – 4 PM. Children and adults can learn about the fine art of making maple syrup and sugar, taste sap from a tree, and enjoy pancakes and syrup and maple sugar candy. For more information on Maple Sugar Day click here. For more information about Fox Chase Farm click here.