As founder of Historic Philadelphia in 1992, former governor and mayor Ed Rendell has transformed the look and feel of Philadelphia — Franklin Square, in particular.
“During his time leading our city, he had the vision to promote tourism as an important industry and transformed the visitor experience in the historic district,” said Amy Needle, President and CEO, Historic Philadelphia, Inc. “Philadelphia wouldn’t be what it is without Ed Rendell.
“We’ve been so lucky to have his leadership and vision over several decades. Many of us in the hospitality industry were lucky enough to work for him and witness his drive, enthusiasm, optimism for making Philadelphia the best it could be.”
For his drive toward beautifying Franklin Square, Rendell, his wife Midge, and the rest of his family will be honored on May 17 with a special dedication and renaming of the beloved Franklin Square Fountain.
“I’ve never been one for honors… or having things named after me,” said Rendell of getting a fountain in his name. “Only those things with special meaning.”
The Rendells held birthday parties for their children and grandchildren in Franklin Square. Every light show, and every event was attended by the Rendell brood.
Rendell has a funny story about how Franklin Square came to mean so much to him in the first place during his time in office as Mayor.
“I always loved the sun, being in the sun,” said Rendell. “When it got to be April/May or September/October – nothing too hot – during lunchtimes, I wanted a place to eat. As Mayor, I had to find places that were fairly remote, not because I didn’t want to see people. I wanted a place where I could eat, and read the day’s material in private in the sun. The only place that was remote and outdoorsy enough was Franklin Park. Back then, that park was pretty rundown with the only people there at lunchtime were me and the homeless guys who were asleep. It was a great place to hang.”
The joy that Rendell got from Franklin’s greenspace, mess and all, got him thinking that, with “a park so full of history” – being one of William Penn’s original five squares in the city – something must be done “to make something out of this spot, and have Historic Philadelphia run it.”
Planned out with budget expenditures, live attractions and vending opportunities considered, Rendell helped transform Franklin Square into an oasis with a miniature golf course (featuring holes tied to relevant Philly moments), a merry-go-round dedicated to Philly having had the first carousel of the Colonies, a freshly-repaired fountain and live performing storytellers.
“I really liked the storytelling aspect, something we used too at Independence Mall,” noted Rendell. And by the point of Franklin Square’s development, raising funds from philanthropists and local businesses was surprisingly easy.
“At that time, the city was on a roll – the Avenue of the Arts was popping, Welcome America was here,” recalled Rendell. “We had the wind at our back, and people believed that Philadelphia could so anything that we set our minds to. Amy (Needle) had the respect and ear of philanthropists, too. And we always had interesting fundraisers like our horse racing events… with the food vendors in place, Franklin Square became an instant success – it truly came alive, not only for people who lived in that area, but from tourists.”
Add to its daily occurrences, events such as June’s annual Japanese Lantern show and its holiday caroling, Rendell stated that Franklin Square “is now one of the best places to go to in this city.”
Rendell joked about when it comes time to the fountain dedication on Tuesday, he plans to tell the crowd, “I just came here to eat lunch, sit in the sun and came up with the idea. Everybody else at Historic Philadelphia Inc. did the work.”
