Dilworth Park Fact Sheet

The proposal to add a second café in Dilworth Park was presented publicly, reported in the media and approved by both Philadelphia’s Art Commission and Historical Commissions, public entities with regulatory authority over public spaces.
Locally owned Brûlée Catering, our current café operator will run the coffee stand. As noted in the press release on our website that accompanied the start of construction, Brulee has a franchise agreement that allows them to brand it as a Starbucks and carry Starbucks products.
As to those worried about coffee saturation, within the boundaries of the CCD we count 74 other cafes, 23% of which are Starbucks, 20% Dunkin Donuts, and 47% of which are locally owned brands.
In the last four years since Dilworth Park was renovated by the Center City District, it has gone from a deteriorated space that rarely was active to vibrant place that welcomed more than 10.8 million visitors last year.
In 2018, the park was open for 365 days. On 46% of those days CCD presented free musical performances, free movies, free exercise classes, a neighborhood arts celebration and fine arts and craft fair, a bocce league, a children’s holiday promotion in partnership with SEPTA, a holiday market, a free holiday light show and a free skating promotion for the month of February. In total, 92% of all events in 2018 were free and all were open to the public.
In 2018, CCD hosted 79 rental events in Dilworth Park; 82% were open to the public; 18% were private. Among rental events, 14% were provided at a reduced rental rate through our Community Access Program, available to charitable organizations offering events that are free, open to the public and which do not require extensive setup and site logistics. Even with those private rental events, during no more than 3.5% of the total operating hours of the park, was any portion closed to the public. At all times during those events, access to public transit and to City Hall is preserved.
Throughout the year, the CCD welcomes children’s groups that play in the fountain, on the lawn and skate in the rink. And by the way, Sister Cities Park at Logan Square is devoted by the CCD almost entirely to play for young children and includes a mini-public library.
In the concourse in Dilworth are digital screens that are provided free of charge to mural and other artists. The screens on the surface promote local arts and cultural groups.
And what does CCD do with the revenue generated? We provide all the free events outlined above; we maintain the park, its fountains, landscaping, walkways and other amenities 365 days per year, generating 42 full-time and 41 seasonal jobs for workers, 47% of whom are African-American, 10% Latino, 6% Asian; 90% of full-time workers live in the city; 31% of contracted services are with minority-owned firms.

So welcome one and all to Dilworth Park.

Paul R. Levy
Center City District