From our President 2
Celebration and stewardship
Last year, the leadership team at Center City District engaged in a collaborative process to create vision, mission, and values statements. After much discussion, we adopted our vision: “Center City is the heart of commerce, culture, and connection, generating opportunity and prosperity for the entire city and region.”
This vision truly came alive in January and February, as Broad Street hosted successive celebrations culminating in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl victory parade. These events didn’t just celebrate our team’s excellence—they demonstrated how Center City functions as our region’s beating heart, uniting hundreds of thousands in shared jubilation.
In times of citywide celebrations, all roads inevitably lead to the streets and public spaces of Center City. What we witnessed was collective effervescence at its finest—that powerful social electricity that binds strangers together in moments of triumph and transforms individual joy into something greater than the sum of its parts.
Before each celebratory moment was careful preparation. Our parks team updated Dilworth Park’s Wintergarden topiaries with Eagles-branded scarves and hats. Working with the Eagles’ ground crew, we installed a stadium-sized Eagles emblem to welcome everyone entering the park. Our skyline transformed into an “Emerald City” as City Hall, along with Broad Street building facades and high-rise offices, illuminated in green.
Prema Katari Gupta President & CEO Center City District
I witnessed firsthand the sea of Kelly green overflowing in our streets. Strangers embraced and sang together. Impromptu dance parties erupted. Police officers joined revelers in spontaneous games of toss football. And our city’s spirit shone through the dedicated Center City District cleaning crews working alongside Philadelphia’s Department of Sanitation.
Joy doesn’t clean up after itself. Before many of us sat down to a post-game morning coffee, our teams fanned out across Center City to remove the swirling confetti, discarded bottles, homemade signs and other physical remnants of the collective euphoria that marked the Eagles’ postseason.
By 5:30 a.m. after the Super Bowl, our diligent sidewalk cleaners were already working. In the days that followed, they removed mountains of trash and dozens of instances of graffiti across our major corridors.
Along with the boost to our civic pride, these celebrations brought an economic lift to local businesses. The numbers tell an impressive story.
The night of the Eagles’ NFC Championship victory, Broad Street became a river of jubilation, with 114,000 people visiting that corridor alone, peaking at 72,000 at 7 p.m.—an astonishing increase from the typical 10,000.
On Super Bowl Sunday, over 470,000 people gathered in core Center City—a 34% increase from the 2018 Super Bowl. Retailers like Shibe Vintage Sports and Mitchell & Ness had lines snaking out the door. Starting on Super Bowl morning, lines formed down the block outside of bars like Lucy’s, McGillin’s, and the new Garage Rittenhouse.
The victory parade drew over 919,000 people to Center City—nearly double an average Friday. SEPTA transported an astounding 400,000 parade-goers, while hotels reported selling 11,000 rooms during parade weekend, a significant boost to our hospitality sector. Just as the heart sustains the body, our downtown’s infrastructure, walkability, and transportation connections allowed this massive influx, enabled by SEPTA and PATCO’s operational excellence.
Cities need moments of joy. But they also need passionate stewards working to keep them beautiful. Center City District proudly provides both. This is excellent downtown management: being ready for both celebration and cleanup, for extraordinary moments and everyday care that follows.
I’m deeply grateful to our on-street teams who work tirelessly to ensure our downtown remains clean, safe, and welcoming. When I see them methodically restoring our streets, I’m reminded of Fred Rogers’ words: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
In Center City Philadelphia, you don’t have to look hard to find helpers. They’re the ones in teal jackets, pushing brooms before dawn. They’re removing graffiti in challenging February weather. They take pride in making our downtown ready for business, visitors, and life—championship or not.
They’re the embodiment of Center City District’s vision and mission as stewards of the public realm.
Spring & Summer at CCD Parks
Dilworth Park
Rothman Orthopaedics
Roller Rink Daily, April 25 – June 29
Matinee Skate
Mondays & Tuesdays, 2:45 – 5 p.m. April 28 – June 24
Center City Fit: Zumba presented by Rothman Orthopaedics
Tuesdays, 6 – 7 p.m. April 22 – October 7
Philadelphia Marketplace*
Fridays & Saturdays, 12 – 6 p.m.
May 2 – June 28
*special vintage pop-up market May 30 & 31, June 27 & 28
Happy Hour Tuesdays – Thursdays, 5 – 7 p.m.
May 6 – August 28
CCD Sips Kickoff & 21st Birthday Wednesday, 5 – 8 p.m. May 21
Arts on Center Stage Thursdays, 6 – 7 p.m. May 29 – August 28
Live @ Lunch
Wednesdays, 12 – 1 p.m. June 4 – July 30
CCD Sips
Wednesdays, 5 – 7 p.m. June 4 – August 27
Sister Cities Park
Parkway Pals Tuesdays – Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. June 10 – August 14
Cret Park
May
– July
For more event details, visit ccdparks.org
Host your special event at a CCD park! For information, contact rentals@centercityphila.org
Dilworth Park
Join our team!
For information, visit centercityphila.org/jobs
Community service representative receives award
Farrah Faison recently received two awards for her compassion and quick thinking in assisting people in Center City.
In late November, Farrah (who was on her first day of on-street training) and her partner were alerted to a pedestrian near City Hall who had broken her nose in a fall and was bleeding badly. Farrah maintained clear radio communication during the medical emergency, took immediate initiative to provide first aid, kept the injured pedestrian calm, and coordinated effectively with her supervisor and responding medical personnel.
In early February, she was near 12th and Chestnut when she observed a child alone in Jefferson Plaza. She saw the child running toward 11th Street and quickly caught up with him. As she started speaking with the boy, a 911 dispatch came over her radio about a missing child from the Loews Hotel. She responded with her location, where the parents and child were reunited.
John Crichton, manager of public safety operations, said her actions in both cases “exemplify the high standards of excellence expected from CCD personnel.”
Employee
spotlights
Meet Jinah Kim, urban designer, and Ray Nardi, community service representative
Jinah is an urban designer on CCD’s planning and urban design team, creating the layouts and components for streetscape and landscaping enhancements. You can thank Jinah for making the Eagles logo turf happen on Dilworth Park’s lawn – we think she may have been a Super Bowl good luck charm!
Ray is on CCD’s team of community service representatives, who walk Center City sidewalks seven days a week and are trained to provide directions, administer first aid and answer questions of all kinds. Ray says his favorite part of the job is getting to help workers, visitors and residents with whatever they need.
Read more about Jinah and Ray on our blog: centercityphila.org/blog
CCD News
Psyched for spring in Center City
Springtime is almost here, and CCD’s landscaping, planning and horticulture teams are hard at work preparing for the season. In the coming weeks, Dilworth, Sister Cities, Collins and Cret parks will be popping with colorful spring flowers, the fountains will be back, and the Greenfield Lawn at Dilworth Park will return in time for warmer temperatures and longer days.
Dilworth Park breaks visitation records
Dilworth Park’s 10th anniversary year concluded with a wonderful milestone: the park welcomed more than 11.5 million visitors in 2024, the highest-ever annual number. We hosted 236 events at Dilworth Park last year and welcomed people to the heart of Center City from across the region, around the world and every ZIP code in Philadelphia. We’re excited for 2025 and hope to see you there!
Have you seen the signs?
Did you know that CCD maintains more than 1,000 signs in Center City? Our comprehensive wayfinding signage guides residents and visitors to key destinations, transit connections, and cultural landmarks. Strategically placed at intersections and high-traffic areas, they provide directional information, walking distances, and neighborhood context. Our streetscape team recently updated a number of signs within the district to help pedestrians navigate our downtown.
Eagles + CCD = green and clean
South Broad Street was awash in green on three separate occasions thanks to our Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
More than 114,000 people flooded onto Broad Street to celebrate after the NFC Championship game, more than 470,000 were there after the Super Bowl, and a whopping 919,000 people turned out in Center City for the Eagles victory parade. (Our office staff got their own birds-eye view of the Birds from our new office in the Land Title Building at Broad and Chestnut.)
Tens of thousands of revelers will inevitably leave behind lots of trash, so when the celebration ends, the cleanup begins. While they may not be decked in Kelly green, our team in teal got right to work alongside city sanitation crews.
After both Super Bowl Sunday and the Eagles parade – with additional staff to our standard seven days a week coverage – CCD’s dedicated cleaning team was out early to restore Center City. By 5:30 a.m. on the day after the Super Bowl, they filled more than 100 bags of trash from sidewalks and power washed sidewalks and some building facades that needed a scrub.
centercityphila.org/blog
Next time you see these dedicated crews out and about, please let them know how much their incredible work is appreciated!
Retail Roundup
Aritzia opens on Ritt Row
Be sure to stop by Aritzia, now open at 1725 Walnut Street, during Open Streets. This much-loved Canadian fashion brand chose Rittenhouse Row as the home of its first-ever location in Philadelphia. Check out their celebrity-favorite puffer coats along with clothing from your favorite brands for working in the office, working out, and everything in between.
Department stores StoryMap
While the closure of Macy’s in the historic Wanamaker Building represents the end of an era, it also presents an opportunity to reimagine one of our city’s most iconic spaces for the next generation of Philadelphians.
Open Streets returns
Our street closure program that launched last year is coming back by popular demand. Open Streets: West Walnut returns for all four Sundays in April from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Streets will be closed to cars – and open for shopping and strolling – on 18th Street from Chestnut to Locust and Walnut Street from 15th to 19th.
Find more details at centercityphila.org/openstreets.
New openings
Did you know? Center City District keeps track of new restaurants and retailers in Center City. Our full list of new openings is updated quarterly and available on our blog. Some of the latest and greatest (in addition to Aritzia!) include Equinox, JD Sports, Framebridge, New Balance and Portabella. Also coming soon: Veronica Beard and Abercrombie.
For a full list of new openings, visit: centercityphila.org/blog
Visit our StoryMap for the history of department stores in Center City and context on Macy’s closures nationwide: centercityphila.org/dept-stores
For a full list of Blackowned businesses in Center City, visit: centercityphila.org/blog
CCD tracks retail trends
The CCD economic development team’s annual report pulls together the latest data on retail occupancy, demand, and leasing activity and explores emerging trends and opportunities that will shape Center City’s retail landscape in the coming years. Fun fact: Nearly 3,000 retail stores, service providers, and food and beverage options exist within a two-square-mile area.
Read all about it: centercityphila.org/retail
Keep up with the latest in Center City retail
Check out our website’s “Shop” page to find out about special events and sales at Center City’s more than 900 retail locations. Be sure to visit often – and sign up for our mailing list – for year-round gift guides, seasonal promotions, and much more: centercityphila.org/shop
Guide to Black-owned businesses
Celebrate the diversity and richness of Center City by supporting our local Black-owned businesses. Check out our blog for a curated list of Black-owned establishments, ranging from coffee shops to clothing stores to celebrity makeup brands.
Data dashboard Reports and Research
development team
Center City Housing
CCD’s annual housing report reveals unprecedented growth in Greater Center City’s residential sector, with residential development reaching a 5-year high in 2024.
Download the report at centercityphila.org/housing.
Center City Real Estate Development
Just updated for 2025, this 42-page report provides details of 66 current and upcoming major real estate projects, including a map, full-color photos or renderings and project descriptions as well as an interactive map featuring all of the developments found within the publication.
Download the report at centercityphila.org/developments
Updated monthly, our data dashboard includes interactive pages of information on pedestrian counts, the office market, retail, hospitality, transportation, demographics and details on housing and office occupancy, net absorption and more. Center City District closely monitors key metrics that offer a holistic look at downtown Philadelphia’s performance. Contact data@centercityphila.org with questions.
Hard hat tour of 2300 Market
In February, CPDC hosted a behind-the-scenes look at Center City’s first purpose-built life sciences building, 2300 Market. Developed by Breakthrough Properties, an international life science real estate investment firm, the building will bring 225,000 square feet of premium life sciences space to a fastgrowing section of Center City near the Schuylkill River.
The development incorporates components of older structures previously on the site, including the brick archways and supports of the former corner building, and the terracotta facade of a second building. This ornate facade was meticulously deconstructed, refurbished offsite, and is being reattached to the Market Street frontage one piece at a time. The building’s contemporary upper floors appear to sit atop these older structures.
Become a member today
Business leaders who are members of the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation (CPDC) have access to year-round programs and events from panel discussions to behind-the-scenes hard hat tours of some of Center City’s most exciting projects. Membership pays for research and member engagement and enables CPDC to continue to provide reliable marketplace information and enhance the competitiveness of Center City.
To learn more about CPDC and how to join, visit joincpdc.org or contact CCD Economic Development Manager Lauren Smith at lsmith@centercityphila.org
joincpdc.org
Help us magnify our mission
Make your impact today at supportccdf.org
The early signs of spring are finally here, and Center City District is hard at work to meet the moment. From children splashing in fountains to office workers enjoying a sunny lunch outdoors to families gathering for performances and playtime – the CCD on-street team creates active, beautiful, welcoming places and programs that bring our urban neighborhood to life in ways that benefit us all.
Springtime ushers the return of the roller rink, fountains and lawn at Dilworth Park, as well as the Children’s Discovery Garden, boat pond and Parkway Pals programs at Sister Cities Park. You’ll also see thousands of colorful flower bulbs emerging there, as well as in the pocket oasis of John F. Collins Park on Chestnut Street and Cret Park, a peaceful spot along the Parkway.
While all CCD parks are free for everyone to enjoy, the specialized programming, meticulous maintenance, and ongoing improvements require dedicated resources. Your gift to the CCD Foundation directly supports our parks, programs and public safety initiatives.
supportccdf.org
Whether you’re a long-time supporter or considering your first donation, your contribution makes a meaningful difference in maintaining the quality and vibrancy of our shared spaces. Will you join us in ensuring that our Center City parks continue to thrive as green, joyful, and welcoming spaces for all?
With the help of generous donors, CCD maintains this tucked away little gem: Collins Park at 17th and Chestnut