No, there still hasn't been any progress on the Reading Viaduct Rail Park, but the news that the Philadelphia Horticultural Society will host a pop-up beer garden near the site this summer may appease our growing impatience.
Technically, the PHS announced its plans for the pop-up park in December, but yesterday it was reported that the opening would be timed with the Democratic National Convention in July. PHS's Alan Jaffe told the Philadelphia Business Journal that he expected it would open seven weeks before delegates arrived for the July 25-28 convention.
The pop-up beer garden will be located at 10th and Hamilton on a currently vacant plot of land at the foot of the proposed Rail Park. The PHS said its other beer garden at 15th and South will return. Both pop-up parks will serve beer and food.
We had hoped that with this news there'd perhaps be an update on the actual groundbreaking of the Reading Viaduct Rail Park. However, no dice: Center City District, which is working with the city and the Friends of the Rail Park on the project, confirmed to Curbed Philly that there was no news or movement to report.
We last reported in January that the park was expected to break ground this spring—but that was before the state budget stalemate.
- Rail park garden to open ahead of DNC [PBJ]
- Viaduct Rail Park may break ground this spring [Curbed Philly]