Yesterday, The Center City District announced that they will be releasing all of the information regarding the opening date of Dilworth Park. While we've heard it could be September 4th, with events following on September 5th and 6th, CCD will announce the full slate of news on August 19th. That includes the operator of the indoor/outdoor cafe and the schedule for the ice rink. In honor of Throwback Thursday, we're going to transport you back to 1881, when City Hall was just being built and way before Dilworth Plaza opened in 1977!
↑ - Boom! Here is a direct view from the southwest corner of City Hall. Why is that important? If you were looking at Dilworth Park's construction cam (or lived at the Ritz-Carlton), you'd be looking directly down at the park. Looks like construction crews have a long way to go before finishing off City Hall with its famed tower topped by William Penn.
↑ - If you look closely, you'll realize you've been here a thousand times. It's the east entrance on Market Street. How do we know? That's a sliver of the Philadelphia Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania's Masonic Temple in the background.
↑ We're back to the southwest corner for a closer view of what would eventually become Dilworth Plaza in 1977. Check out the signage wrapped around the fencing at the base of City Hall. The two cherubs atop the corner have an incredible view of the city as well!
Here's a bonus shot:
↑ This bonus shot comes from 1932 and it shows a completed City Hall with a small plaza area to the right that would become a hulking, fortress-like Dilworth Plaza some 45 years later.
· Dilworth Park Official Page [Center City District]
· Dilworth Park [KieranTimberlake]
· Photo Gallery: Dilworth Plaza through the years [Philly History Blog]
· Historic Pictures of Philadelphia [Philly History]
· Signs Point to Early September Opening for Dilworth Park [Curbed Philly]