Saving LOVE Park’s saucer: Philly historical commission poised to designate ‘iconic’ property

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One of Center City’s most recognizable buildings may soon be added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.

For more than 60 years, the Philadelphia Hospitality Center has sat along John F. Kennedy Boulevard at the edge of LOVE Park. The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia wants to keep that history alive by making the circular building a local landmark, a designation that would largely protect it against demolition.

The push comes as the city again seeks to fill the vacant property, sometimes referred to as the “flying saucer.”

“It’s an iconic structure,” executive director Paul Steinke said. “It’s a representation of the modernist revival of Center City in the mid-20th century.”

Construction on the center started in 1959, as Philadelphia was forging its post-war identity. Democrat Richardson Dilworth had just been reelected mayor. Under his leadership, a concerted effort was made to modernize the city and make it a source of civic pride for its residents.

Architecture played a significant role in that progressive vision. Work on the Penn Center office complex — which redeveloped a group of downtown blocks cleared in the name of urban renewal — was well underway. This period also saw the city’s police department move from the basement of City Hall into its own building, commonly known as the Roundhouse.

At the same time, the city was trying to “up its game” when it came to attracting outside visitors, Steinke said, yielding the Philadelphia Hospitality Center and its floor-to-ceiling windows. When it first opened, it served as the city’s “primary tourist information center,” according to the nomination submitted to the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

“There was a national trend after the war, with the rise of automobile culture and private automobile ownership, to see the country,” Steinke said. “Families were setting out in their shiny new automobiles to visit national landmarks, historic sites, national parks, and so forth.”

Last home to the Philadelphia Visitors Center, the one-story property has been vacant for about a decade. It was shuttered and renovated as part of a broader redesign of LOVE Park. But the city has struggled to find a tenant to rent the property, in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This fall, the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation is expected to issue a new Request for Proposal for “The Saucer” — the third attempt to fill it. A spokesperson said this week the goal is to select a tenant by the holiday season “so they can begin planning and experience the park during Christmas Village.”

The hope is to reopen the building in early 2026, which will feature a slew of national, high-profile events, including the FIFA World Cup, MLB All-Star game, and the city’s celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.

The department released a request for expressions of interest in May, which states that the city wants to offer a “civic-focused” venue serving “high-quality food and beverage options, light fare, and local favorites.” The department is also seeking a vendor that “showcases public art” and “anchors park programming, events and daily public life,” according to the RFEI.

The city supports the historic nomination for the center, calling it “one of the city’s most iconic and recognizable modern buildings of the International Style.”

The historical commission is set to take a final vote on the alliance’s nomination on Oct. 10.