CCD wins lighting award

The Center City District’s Avenue of the Arts building lighting project has won a 2009 Award of Merit from the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.

The permanent lighting displays were installed in 2007-08 and designed by The Lighting Practice, a Philadelphia-based firm that specializes in architectural lighting and the Philadelphia-based architectural firm Vitetta. Color-changing LED lighting is installed at: 123 South Broad Street, the North American Building, 215 South Broad Street, The Bellevue Garage, The Bellevue (Broad and Walnut streets), Land Title & Trust Building (Broad and Chestnut streets), 1401 Walnut Street, 337 South Broad Street and University of the Arts’ Terra Hall at Broad and Walnut streets. Metal halide lights have been installed at The Union League of Philadelphia (Broad and Sansom streets), Chambers-Wiley Memorial Presbyterian Church (315 South Broad Street) and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (Broad and Spruce streets).

“The animated lighting of the Avenue’s building facades is a visualization of the energy and creativity happening every night within theaters, concert halls and restaurants,” said Al Borden, principal of The Lighting Practice. “The lighting invites everyone to visit the Avenue and become part of excitement.”

“Philadelphia’s residents and property owners have already recognized the uniqueness and importance of what we’ve been able to accomplish with the Avenue of the Arts lighting,” said CCD President Paul R. Levy in a press release. “It’s nice to see that those in the wider lighting community do, as well.”

Philadelphia is the only city in North America to have organized this of type of lighting on such a large scale in their downtown, according to the Center City District. The $2.1 million project was funded by a mixture of private and public organizations, from local foundations to Broad Street property owners.

Posted by Kellie Patrick Gates