Bathrooms rock: Franklin Square to get $7.8 million in upgrades

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Straddling Philadelphia’s Old City and Chinatown neighborhoods, Franklin Square has a handful of park improvements on the way.

The one that generated the most excitement at Wednesday’s announcement was the new bathrooms costing $2.2 million.

“Restrooms are not exactly the most sexy things for private funders,” said Shawn D. McCaney, executive director of the William Penn Foundation, which contributed $500,00 toward park improvements

“They are an essential public amenity,” he told the applauding crowd. “We are proud to support them.”

Claire Jantz, deputy secretary at Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, concurred that restrooms are the lynchpin of public spaces.

“Restrooms are one of the most requested amenities in our public lands at DCNR,” she said.

The restrooms at Franklin Square were originally built for the Bicentennial celebrations in 1976, then upgraded in 2006. Historic Philadelphia, Inc., which maintains and programs the park, has begun constructing new bathrooms with more toilets, new plumbing and lighting and HVAC climate control. Renovations are expected to be completed this spring.

The bathroom renovation is one of a handful of improvements coming to Franklin Square, which is visited by about 700,000 people annually, according to Historic Philadelphia. Improvements include new lighting throughout the park, new bicycle and pedestrian improvements to Race Street along the park’s edge and a $3.5 million playground. The total cost is expected to be about $7.8 million.

In addition, PATCO’s long-awaited reopening of the train station underneath the park is expected this spring.

“The square is such an important geographic node in a set of neighborhoods,” said state Sen. Nikil Saval. “It’s one of the few green spaces available to Chinatown, one of the few available to Old City, Society Hill. It’s a great connector.”

Historic Philadelphia is replacing all lighting with brighter and more energy-efficient LED lighting and planning a playground with more climbing equipment, slides that can be accessed by children with a range of abilities and elements that encourage nature play, including boulders and landscaping.

The playground still needs significant fundraising before renovations can begin. Historic Philadelphia’s vice president of development, Lesly Attarian, said it will feature signage and cultural elements reflecting the nearby Chinatown community.

“HPI estimates the playground currently serves over 100,000 children annually. This includes local day care and after-school programs that use this space year-round,” she said. “For many of these schools, we are their playground.”

Race Street is already undergoing a so-called road diet, reducing the four-lane road’s traffic capacity in order to add a protected bike lane and an improved sidewalk. Foot traffic around the park is expected to increase once the PATCO Franklin Station, what had been known for decades as a ghost station, reopens later this year at a cost of about $30 million.

The money for all the improvements sprouting in and around Franklin Square comes from a range of sources, including city, state, federal and private funds.

“At a time when many are retreating from efforts to promote inclusion and diversity, we know that places like Franklin Square that are welcoming and accessible to all are essential to building a healthy, free and just society,” said McCaney.

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Disclosure: The William Penn Foundation is among WHYY’s financial supporters.