__NOTOC__ Avenue of the Arts is a city-designated arts cultural district on a segment of Broad Street in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Mary ...

that includes many of the city's cultural institutions, most notably the theater district south of

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually house ...

. The designation can be found as far south as Washington Avenue and as far north as the Cecil B. Moore neighborhood.

History

The name Avenue of the Arts originated in a strategy by mayor

Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philade ...

to redevelop South Broad Street in Center City.Dobrin, Peter. ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'', May 11, 2015,
Will the city's arts scene get a mayor who cares?
. Avenue of the Arts originally ran along Broad Street from Locust Street south to Lombard Street. The Avenue's definition was expanded to North Broad Street by city planners under mayor

John F. Street John Franklin Street (born October 15, 1943) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 97th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. He was first elected to a term beginning on January 3, 2000, and was re-elected to a second term begin ...

's administration to encourage further development in the area.http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/14446354.htm The Avenue of the Arts is overseen by the

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

Avenue of the Arts, Inc. led by Karen Lewis, the organization's executive director.

Features

Avenue of the Arts is the locale for many of the city's large theatres, including

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue at 300 South Broad Street and the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the Avenue of the Arts in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned an ...

(home of the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

), the Academy of Music, Miller Theater,

Wilma Theater Wilma Theater may refer to: *Wilma Theater (Philadelphia) The Wilma Theater is a non-profit theater company located at 265 S. Broad Street at the corner of Spruce Street in the Avenue of the Arts area of Center City, Philadelphia. The company ...

Liacouras Center The Liacouras Center is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose venue which opened in 1997 and was originally named "''The Apollo of Temple''". The arena was renamed in 2000 for Temple University President, Peter J. Liacouras. It is part of a $107 mill ...

, and

Suzanne Roberts Theatre The Suzanne Roberts Theatre is a theatre on Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts. The theater opened in October 2007 and is home to the Philadelphia Theatre Company. The theater was designed by KieranTimberlake, using the principles of Universal d ...

. Buildings for the University of the Arts are located just south and east of the

Kimmel Center The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue at 300 South Broad Street and the corner of Spruce Street, along the stretch known as the Avenue of the Arts in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned an ...

; the Miller Theatre is often used for high-end productions involving the school.

Philadelphia International Records Philadelphia International Records (PIR) was an American record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1971 by songwriting and production duo Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff along with their longtime collaborator Thom Bell. I ...

' offices and gift shop is also located along this strip. Just south of the strip is the Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, and on Broad Street in this vicinity, just north of

, is the

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, which, founded in 1805, is America's oldest art school and museum and boasts a distinguished collection of American art. Several parking garages and public transportation services provided by

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five cou ...

and DRPA at the Walnut–Locust, 12-13th Street, and 15-16th Street stations, served by the

Broad Street Line The Broad Street Line (BSL), also known as the Broad Street subway (BSS), Orange Line, or Broad Line, is a subway line owned by the city of Philadelphia and operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The line r ...

and the Lindenwold Line. The availability of public transportation makes Avenue of the Arts highly accessible to visitors.

References

Notes Bibliography *Bounds, Anna Maria. "Philadelphia's Avenue of the Arts: the Challenges of a Cultural District Initinative" in Tourism, Culture and Regeneration, Melanie K. Smith, editor. pp 132–142. CABI, 2006. *Brooks, Arthur C. and Roland J. Kishner. ''International Journal of Arts Management'', Vol. 3, No. 2 (WINTER 2001), "Cultural Districts and Urban Development". pp. 4–15. *Campoa, Daniel and Brent D. Ryanb. ''Journal of Urban Design'', Volume 13, Issue 3, 2008, "The Entertainment Zone: Unplanned Nightlife and the Revitalization of the American Downtown", pp. 291–315, DOI: 10.1080/13574800802319543. *Carrabc, James H. and Lisa J. Servond. ''Journal of the American Planning Association'', Volume 75, Issue 1, 2008, "Vernacular Culture and Urban Economic Development: Thinking Outside the (Big) Box", pp. 28–40. DOI: 10.1080/01944360802539226. *McGovern, Stephen J. ''Policy & Politics'', Volume 25, Number 2, April 1997, "Mayoral leadership and economic development policy: the case of Ed Rendell's Philadelphia", pp. 153–172(20). *Strom, Elizabeth. ''International Journal of Cultural Policy'', Volume 9, Issue 3, 2003, "Cultural policy as development policy: evidence from the United States". pp. 247–263.

External links

Official website
{{authority control Arts districts Arts organizations based in Pennsylvania Center City, Philadelphia Culture of Philadelphia

Tourist attractions in Philadelphia

History

Features

See also

References

External links