LOVE Park - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 57.256 W 075° 09.940
18S E 485849 N 4422694
LOVE Park was built in the 1960s @ the eastern end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway & across from City Hall. In the late 1980s, by an accident of history, young people discovered the park's curving stairs and ledges were perfect for skateboarding.
Waymark Code: WM9F21
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/11/2010
Views: 11
LOVE Park is the brainchild of former Philadelphia City Planner Edmund Bacon and architect Vincent Kling. The park is across from City Hall and was designed as a terminus for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The park, which was designed by Vincent Kling, was built in 1965 and covers an underground parking garage.
There are three things this park is best known for, the LOVE sculpture, its fountain and skateboarding. The last has been very controversial as some politicians and lawmakers didn't want young punks wrecking up the place with their boards, but the old fogies saw the light and now they board everywhere. Today, LOVE Park is a celebrated venue for Street Skateboarding, a popular form of the sport that uses natural urban features, rather than manufactured ramps. Because of LOVE Park, Philadelphia was home to some of the world's top skateboarding professionals, and was the centerpiece of ESPN's X Games, making Philadelphia the only city to hold the Games twice in a row.
The fountain it dead center in the park, The park was built in 1967 and the fountain was added two years later in 1969. This is no wimpy fountain either, its got to shoot at least 30 feet into the air, probably more. There is a giant, concrete coping extending around the circumference where people sit and talk or dip their feet. Besides the single spout fountain the other notable feature are the curved, granite steps. Also at the park is a great visitor center. It opened up in May 2006 as The Fairmount Park Welcome Center. The park was dedicated in 1967 as John F. Kennedy Plaza after President John F. Kennedy.
n May 21, 2003 the Love Park fountain was dyed pink as a stunt by unknown individuals. It turned out that the dye was non-toxic and did not hurt the fountain. I remember hearing about this in my car on the way to work. Rather than make a big deal about the practical joke, Mayor John Street took advantage of it and the city began dying the fountain for other occasions, starting with the 4th of July, 2003.
The Love Park fountain is now often dyed colors throughout the year to commemorate or celebrate events. Regular colors have included:
Pink - kickoff for breast cancer awareness month (annually in October)
Blue - commemoration of police officer fatalities
Green - in honor of the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series, Phanatic Green- October 29, 2008 WOOHOO!!!!
Red - marketing event for Showtime's Dexter
The LOVE sculpture is where the JFK plaza gets it better-known name, LOVE park. Most Americans recognize this famous sculpture, which was a stamp in the 70s and has remained a symbol of Center City Philadelphia. Thousands of people each week, in the warm months, post to have their picture taken with this iconic work of art. Originally created by artist Robert Indiana, the LOVE sculpture is now the subject of many Philadelphia souvenirs and marketing campaigns for the city. Beyond the sculpture, LOVE Park has both romantic and controversial connotations for many from the area.