New Lights for the Avenue of the Arts

by KYW's Lauren Lipton

It wasn't that long ago that you could shoot a bowling ball down South Broad Street after 6pm and  get a strike in South Philadelphia. 
  
Today,  it's a whole different story, with the streets packed with people after dark. And soon, Philadelphia is going where no one else has gone before.
 
"On November 7th, we're going to kick off what's going to be a six- or seven-month project that will ultimately light about 15 buildings on South Broad Street."

Paul Levy is president of the Center City District. He says the project, called "Night Lights," will start on a limited basis, including the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Broad and Chestnut (above). But next year, he says, full scale, permanent lighting will begin:

"What this is going to do is highlight great architecture on buildings like the Chambers Wiley Church, which people don't even think about; the Union League, 123 South Broad Street; the Bellevue. These will all be lit with different types of color-changing light fixtures. Very low energy consumption."
 
Just imagine: 
  
"We are exploring ideas like ten minutes before curtain call at the Academy of Music, not only will the bells ring in the Academy, but lights could sweep up and down the Avenue of the Arts." 
 

And, Levy adds, Philadelphia is ahead of everyone on this:

"As far as we know, no other American city has tried to coordinate all these different private buildings with cultural institutions and have a synchronized color-changing experience."

That's Positively Philadelphia!

(Graphic: Center City Dist.)