February 03, 2024
@PhilaParksandRec/Facebook
The revitalization plan for Marconi Plaza, shown above during a 2017 block party, is based on feedback from South Philly residents who want better amenities and improved maintenance of the park.
Marconi Plaza is getting a series of upgrades designed to make the South Philadelphia park safer and more accessible.
The city announced a multi-phase revitalization plan Friday that calls for improved infrastructure and expanded play areas. The park is just south of Oregon Avenue on both sides of South Broad Street, and it has received attention in the last several years because of the controversy about the Christopher Columbus statue there.
During phase one of the renovations, workers will install better lighting, repave and realign pathways and prune existing trees to enhance pedestrian safety along South Broad. New trees and benches will also be added.
In phase two, the city will renovate existing playgrounds and install outdoor fitness equipment. Grassy areas will be graded and reseeded, and a shed will be built for the Friends of Marconi Plaza volunteer group.
The final phase will focus on transforming the park's elevated middle section into a "civic space." An open space will be created for vendor markets and events, and a new bocce court and lending library will be installed, along with chess tables. Native and pollinator-friendly plants will also be added.
The work will begin this year.
The changes were inspired by community workshops that were held during 2022. According to Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, over 300 people contributed to these sessions. Top concerns included making it safer for people to cross the streets around the park, basic park maintenance, improved and enhanced lighting, playground renovations and adding fitness equipment for adults.
The city did not specify whether the revitalization would impact the park's Christopher Columbus statue on the western half of the park. In August 2020, both the Philadelphia Historical Commission and the Philadelphia Art Commission voted to remove the monument from Marconi Plaza and consider alternative locations. But Friends of Marconi Plaza sued to keep the statue on display. It was covered in a plywood box for over a year following clashes between those in favor of the monument and those against it. A court ruled that the box had to be removed in December 2022.
Parks & Recreation did not immediately respond to request for comment on the statue.
The South Philly park was created in 1914 and named Marconi Plaza in 1937 after the Italian physicist who invented the radio and later won the Nobel Prize. The name is a nod the population of Italian immigrants who were among the first to live in the neighborhood, and there is a statue of Marconi on eastern half of the park.
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