The new Dilworth Plaza in City Hall will open to the public on Sept. 4 after a long and costly renovation, two years and $55 million later.
Among the latest news, the plaza which from now on will be called “Dilworth Park” due to its green areas, will feature an outdoors café by superstar chef Jose Garces.
The “Iron Chef” will open a second locale for his Cuban restaurant Rosa Blanca — originally located on 7th and Market streets.
Besides the popular Cuban sandwiches, with roast pork, smoked ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard, the new Rosa Blanca will also feature a variety of mojitos and rum.
Dilworth Park features two distinctive glass structures with access to SEPTA’s trains, while the new area for trolleys features LCD panels to display real-time information for routes serving West Philly.
The public space will serve as a gathering place and provide continuous programming and information about Philadelphia’s attractions.
The inauguration, led by Mayor Michael Nutter and Center City district officials, will be followed by an all-day community arts and culture festival featuring local talent; a picnic on Friday with lunch available for sale and drinks from 5 to 7 p.m, as well as a family event for kids on Saturday.
The inaugural events are just an example of others that will follow throughout the year in this public space which will feature winter ice skating.
The park will be 85 to 90 percent complete on opening day, including a 11,600-square-foot computer-programmable fountain fed with recycled rainwater. The remaining portion will be finished by October.
The renovation was designed by KieranTimberlake architects, OLIN landscape architects, and Urban Engineers.