Donald Hiscock | Articles | Conde Nast Traveller

Kimmel Centre

Downtown Philadelphia will see the completion of a major cultural building boom when the Kimmel Centre for the Performing Arts holds its inaugural concert on December 16.

The centre, built at a cost of $265m, houses a concert hall and a theatre under 275,000 square feet of glass vaulted ceiling, with a terrace garden connecting the arts buildings.

The Kimmel Center, designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, features the 2500-seat Verizon Hall to house the Philadelphia Orchestra and the smaller Perelman Theatre.

Viñoly, a classically trained musician, has designed a cello shaped performance area for the centre’s concert hall, with the assistance of acoustic designer Russell Johnson.

The four storey walls of the Kimmel Centre support a 150 ft high glass roof. Balconies connected by bridges allow access to the performance halls. The ground level has a huge public meeting space known as Commonwealth Plaza.

Viñoly has recently been responsible for the design of convention centres in Boston and Pittsburgh.

The area near the nineteenth century Academy of Music has seen a transformation over the last ten years. A four mile strip of Broad Street has been re-named Avenue of the Arts. The Kimmel Centre’s presence is expected to be the centre-piece of the city’s cultural district.

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