Here’s What the First, $50M Phase of FDR Park’s Redesign Will Look Like

Philadelphia is investing $50 million into executing an intensive redesign of FDR Park, with plans underway for the initial “gateway phase” that will include a welcome center and two-acre play space, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports.

The investment of city funds, which will be distributed over the next five years, will help implement the ongoing $250 million FDR Park Master Plan. Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Fairmount Park Conservancy, and Friends of FDR Park published the plan in 2019 in an effort to update the park to better serve 21st-century visitors. The 348-acre park in South Philadelphia was designed by the Olmsted Brothers in 1914 and opened in 1921.

Under the "gateway phase" of the plan, the 5,500-square-foot guardhouse at the park's Broad Street and Pattison Avenue entrance will be restored and converted into the new welcome center.