In 2024, Fairmount Park Conservancy embarked on a $6 million project to create a Gateway Plaza in FDR Park, at the northeast entrance facing the intersection of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue.
This project is funded by the City of Philadelphia (with strong support from Council President Kenyatta Johnson, pictured above with the plaza’s new sign) and is part of the historic FDR Park Plan to reimagine a more welcoming and climate-resilient park now and for the future.
FDR Park is the only large Philadelphia park directly connected to the Broad Street line, offering an opportunity to make this park a destination for walkers and bikers by creating a welcoming and accessible park entrance at this popular intersection.
In the 18 month-long FDR Park Plan community engagement process, which gathered input from more than 3,000 park users and stakeholders, a park gateway emerged as one of the top ten community priorities. Community recommendations included better connections into the park, new pedestrian entrances, and native plant gardens, all of which will be answered by the Gateway Plaza project
The plaza project broke ground in April and is expected to open in spring 2025. This year, the Conservancy and partners made significant progress including:
- 81 new native trees planted
- 25 new shrubs planted
- Over 12,000 perennial and grass/fern plugs planted
- Rain gardens that feature native plants and flowering understory canopy to absorb stormwater
- New plazas formed in the shapes of the park’s iconic lakes.
In October, the Conservancy celebrated a significant project milestone with the installation of custom-made sculptural park signage.
The sign represents the park’s unique attributes and community significance, spelling out “FDR” using the iconic shapes of “the Lakes,” a reference to a local nickname for the park. The 6’6” steel letters will welcome visitors and reflect the reimagined park’s branding and iconography used throughout the park and beyond.
Check out Fairmount Park Conservancy’s time-lapse recording of the installation!
In the coming months, crews will be hard at work completing this work and adding:
- Wayfinding information to help visitors navigate the 348-acre park
- Bike racks to welcome cyclists
- Shade trees
- Seating and gathering areas
- Gardens
- Stormwater Management
- Cooling misters
We are excited to open the Gateway Plaza in 2025, and look forward to celebrating the completion of another FDR project that meets community needs and successfully balances nature, water, and activity.
Learn more about the FDR Park Plan on our website, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest updates from Fairmount Park Conservancy!
