New Lighting of City Hall Exterior is Completed

"In addition to its important role as the seat of our municipal government, City Hall is an architectural treasure at the center of the city, visible from miles away, that deserves to be seen in all its glory," CCD Chair Paul R. Levy said. "We're pleased to be shedding new light on this stunning National Historic Landmark in the heart of Center City."

Constructed in the ornate Second Empire style used for the Louvre in Paris and adorned with over 250 works of sculpture principally attributed to Alexander Milne Calder, Philadelphia's City Hall took more than 30 years to build. Completed in 1901 on land that William Penn's 1683 plans envisioned as the city's Centre Square, it remains the tallest masonry-bearing building in the world.

"For nearly three decades, CCD has implemented lighting projects to enhance public safety, animate the city at night and create visual excitement," CCD President and CEO Prema Katari Gupta said. "The new lighting greatly improves upon the previous high-intensity discharge (HID) lights that are shorter lived and less energy efficient than LEDs."

Founded in 1991 with a mission to keep Center City clean, safe and attractive, CCD has made lighting projects a key element of its work.

Since 1996, CCD has installed 3,000 pedestrian-scale lights throughout Center City. These 15-foot-tall lights have made downtown sidewalks markedly brighter, safer and more vibrant at night. CCD has also installed hundreds of 30-foot-tall vehicular lights to illuminate downtown roadways.

In 2002 and 2003, CCD illuminated the façades of nine major civic buildings along the Parkway including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Free Library of Philadelphia, Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Franklin Institute, and Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.

During those years, CCD also illuminated 19 works of art along the Parkway including the Washington Monument (Rudolph Siemering, 1897), The Thinker (Auguste Rodin, 1929), All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors (J. Otto Schweizer, 1934), Monument to Six Million Jewish Martyrs (Nathan Rapoport, 1964) and Swann Memorial Fountain (Alexander Stirling Calder, 1924).

In November 2004, CCD installed the first iteration of City Hall lighting projected from seven adjacent buildings onto select portions of the façade. In 2015, CCD installed and illuminated four pairs of monumental gates based on the unrealized original 1871 designs by architect John McArthur Jr.

In 2007, in partnership with the Philadelphia firms Vitetta and The Lighting Practice, CCD installed lighting on a dozen building façades along South Broad Street. The programmable color LEDs have been used to celebrate sports championships and holidays and were even illuminated in blue - along with many historic buildings in Center City's skyline - to honor health care workers in 2020.

Over the years, CCD also has done many short-term illuminations of City Hall's façade.

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Center City District, a private-sector organization dedicated to making Center City Philadelphia clean, safe and attractive, is committed to maintaining Center City's competitive edge as a regional employment center, a quality place to live, and a premier regional destination for dining, shopping and cultural attractions Through public space management, streetscape improvements, and economic development initiatives, CCD plays a pivotal role in shaping the urban experience for residents, businesses, and visitors.

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