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:: Also: A Brief History of the Illuminated Buildings Along the Avenue of the Arts
Center City District Unveils Permanent Architectural Façade Lighting on a Dozen Buildings Along the Avenue of the Arts
(December 17, 2008) -- The Center City District has thrown the switch on a celebratory holiday gift for the City of Philadelphia, illuminating the historic façades of eleven buildings along the Avenue of the Arts with permanent lighting fixtures. The buildings join the University of the Arts’ Terra Hall at Broad and Walnut, upon which similar lighting was installed in 2007, bringing the total to a dozen illuminated buildings.
Three different types of permanent lighting have been installed:
• Color-changing LED (light emitting diode) fixtures on eight buildings: 123 South Broad Street, the North American Building, 215 South Broad Street, The Bellevue Garage, The Bellevue (Broad and Walnut Streets), Land Title & Trust Building (Broad and Chestnut Streets), 1401 Walnut Street and 337 South Broad Street;
• Metal halide white lighting on The Union League of Philadelphia (Broad and Sansom Streets) and Chambers-Wiley Memorial Presbyterian Church (315 South Broad Street);
• Metal halide theatrical lights on the front entrance of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Broad and Spruce Streets).
As demonstrated by the Terra Hall installation, the color-changing LED lighting can be used to simply to highlight quietly the distinctive architecture on South Broad Street or to provide fanciful, vibrant lighting shows, transforming the streetscape into a multi-color canvas for holidays and city-wide celebrations.
“Philadelphia is the only city in North America to have organized this of type of lighting on such a large scale in their downtown, coordinating installation on cultural and civic institutions and private buildings with multiple owners,” said Paul R. Levy, President & CEO of the Center City District.
On December 17, at 6:30 p.m., following brief remarks from Melanie Johnson (City Representative, City of Philadelphia), Paul R. Levy (President & CEO, Center City District), Anne Ewers (President & CEO, Kimmel Center, Inc.) and Ron Rubin (CEO, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust), the score of The Nutcracker, part of a synchronized, color-changing music and light show, danced
across the façades of eight buildings clustered at the intersection of Broad and Walnut Streets. The light and sound spectacular was repeated at 7:15 and 8 p.m. In between the sound and light shows, coordinated lighting changes moved up and down buildings and all along the Avenue of the Arts.
Pedestrians were able to enjoy performances by the Gil Brewster Band and the Mark Stinger Band, as well as strolling music by the Joy Unlimited Youth Mass Gospel Choir, the Showboat Pep Band and Dixieland and marching bands. Stilt walkers, magicians, quick sketch artists, jugglers, roller skaters and other street performers were also on hand to delight the crowds. Several Broad Street restaurants also sold food and beverages outdoors along the Avenue: Cadence Restaurant at the Kimmel Center, The Palm, Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia, Del Frisco’s Steakhouse and the Union League of Philadelphia.
The permanent lighting displays were designed by The Lighting Practice, a Philadelphia-based firm that specializes in architectural lighting and the architectural firm Vitetta. The fixtures use LED Linear, a product produced by Philips Color Kinetics. Installation was carried out by Philadelphia’s Gordon Electric.
LED Linear is produced in one-, two-, three- and four-foot lengths and is made of weatherproofed steel with a glass lens, sealed to withstand rain and dust. The fixtures, which have a maximum of 100 watts (the same as a single light bulb) and no mercury content whatsoever, can be dimmed and dynamically controlled to produce 16 million color options. LED Linear has a lifetime of at least 50,000 hours and is anticipated to last from 15 to 20 years.
The energy efficiency of LED fixtures also makes them the perfect choice for this type of lighting. There are a total of 421 lights on the twelve permanently lit buildings, yet they use a total of only 24,000 watts an hour, the same as that of running a home clothes dryer for the same amount of time or powering the streetlights from City Hall to Pine Street. Lighting the fixtures on all twelve façades for six hours consumes less energy than the lighting for one three-hour performance at a typical theater (audience of 200-400) on the Avenue of the Arts.
Philips Color Kinetics, manufacturers of the LED lighting fixtures, also took the opportunity of the event to display their ColorReach Powercore ™ lighting array system, casting its bright spotlight on City Hall for the evening. The LED-based projector is designed to provide a simple low-energy method to light especially large buildings, perfect for downtown displays. The University of the Arts joined in the celebration, lighting the façade of Anderson Hall with temporary, projected, artistic images designed by UARTS students.
The $2.1 million South Broad Street lighting is funded by a mixture of private and public interests: Center City District, The Pew Charitable Trusts, William Penn Foundation, The Lenfest Group, the Wachovia Foundation, Avenue of the Arts, Inc. and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development.
Broad Street property owners are also a major funding source for the project: Allan Domb Real Estate, William Penn Realty Group, Samson Asset Management, PREIT, ASI Management, Seligsohn Soen Hess Co., The Union League, The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Wachovia, Blake Construction Group, Pearl Properties, Chambers-Wiley Memorial Presbyterian Church and the University of the Arts.
The Center City District, a private-sector sponsored business improvement district dedicated to making Center City Philadelphia clean, safe and attractive, is committed to maintaining Center City’s competitive edge as a regional employment center, a quality place to live, and a premier regional destination for dining, shopping and cultural attractions.
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