Millions of dollars worth of upgrades are coming to Center City’s Franklin Square.
A significant playground renovation, expanded restroom facilities, a reopened PATCO station, traffic safety improvements and new lighting are all on the horizon, representatives from Historic Philadelphia Inc. said at an event celebrating the developments.
HPI, which manages the park for the city, unveiled designs Wednesday for a rebuilt play space incorporating a Benjamin Franklin-inspired climbing tower, bike and scooter path, zip line, musical instruments, water mister, amphitheater and more.
Officials said more than 100,000 children a year visit the playground, which is nestled between Chinatown and Old City and is one of the area’s few recreational spaces.
“This square is such an important geographic node in a set of neighborhoods,” said state Sen. Nikil Saval, whose district includes Franklin Square.
About 425 kids from Children’s Village, a nonprofit childcare provider at 8th and Arch streets, go to the park daily, said Mary Graham, the center’s executive director.
“This is going to be ideal,” Graham told Metro as she stood next to renderings of the redesigned space. Children’s Village has bused kids to FDR Park, where there are more activities for older children, she added.
Equipment will be accessible for youth with disabilities and signage will be posted in English, Spanish and Mandarin, according to HPI.
“At a time when many are retreating from efforts to promote inclusion and diversity, we know that places like Franklin Square, that are welcoming and accessible to all, are essential to building a healthy, free and just society,” said Shawn McCaney, executive director of the William Penn Foundation, one of the initiative’s funders.
But the playground project is not yet fully funded. Lesly Attarian, HPI’s vice president of development, told Metro that the organization has raised $500,000, with another $500,000 in grants pending. The total cost is $3.5 million, she added. HPI hopes to open the new play space in 2026.
Meanwhile, a $30 million effort led by PATCO to reopen the long-shuttered Franklin Square station is nearing completion. Transit officials are saying the stop will begin welcoming riders in the spring, though an exact date has not been set.
A $2.2 million bathroom building is also expected to open in the spring. Crews began construction on the project last month, and workers were at the site digging Wednesday. Temporary bathrooms are available in the meantime.
HPI representatives said the expanded restrooms will have double the number of stalls as the previous facility, which was constructed in 1976 ahead of Philadelphia’s Bicentennial celebration. It will also include a gender-neutral/family bathroom.
In addition, a $1.9 million Department of Streets project to add bike lanes, sidewalk extensions and other traffic safety features along Race Street between 6th and 8th streets is underway and should be completed by May, officials said.
And finally, a $250,000 federal grant is being used to install LED lights throughout Franklin Square.
During Wednesday’s news conference, Amy Needle, HPI’s president and CEO, noted that it has been almost two decades since the nonprofit undertook an extensive multimillion-dollar renovation of the square, which had fallen into disrepair.
“Before we opened, people said that no one would cross Race Street to get here,” she said.
