The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe have engaged WRT to transform the historic High Pressure Fire Service building at Race Street & North Columbus Boulevard — at the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge and directly across from the new Race Street Pier — into a thriving arts center that will house its operation’s headquarters and serve as its flagship venue. Plans for the catalytic project include a 234-seat black-box theater, event and rehearsal studio spaces, a plaza for outdoor seasonal events and picnic-style outdoor dining, a gastro-pub restaurant, and office space for the organization. The new theater will be ready for the Philly Fringe Festival in September 2012, with further work on the building and the events plaza space following up on its heels.
The project is in line with the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation’s vision for the Delaware, creating a crucial civic, economic and recreational link between Old City and the Waterfront. “Nick Stuccio, and the visionary Board of the Festival, have been quick to recognize that the waterfront is at a vital turning point in its development,” Antonio Fiol-Silva, FAIA, Principal-in-Charge for the project remarked. “This project, along with the Race Street Pier, stand to be the critical spark that will establish the waterfront as a vibrant destination.”
External Links:
Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe http://livearts-fringe.org
Plan Philly http://planphilly.com
Internal Links:
http://www.wrtdesign.com/projects/detail/Philadelphia-Live-Arts-Festival/248
