| :: Philadelphia
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Attraction >Cultural Venue
| Kimmel Center |
Address:
260 South Broad Street
| Philadelphia | 19102
Region:
Philadelphia
Rating:
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More Info
Phone: 215-790-5800
FAX:
Website
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Description and Basic Information ::
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The $265 million Kimmel Center is the newest addition to Philadelphia’s renowned Avenue of the Arts, a performing arts district that stretches more than four-and-a-half miles along Broad Street. Opened in December 2001, the massive entertainment center boasts a unique architectural design, constructed of glass, steel and brick. The building is surmounted by a transparent, folded plate-glass barrel vault, which extends the length of the structure and ends on both sides in a colossal glass arch. The facade is largely transparent at street level, allowing passersby to see into the public plaza.Named for businessman and philanthropist Sidney Kimmel, who grew up in West Philadelphia and has donated $30 million to the project, the Kimmel Center is both a world-class performing arts center and a community center. It is expected to help establish Philadelphia as one of the country’s foremost art centers and the Avenue of the Arts as one of the nation’s premier cultural districts.The Kimmel Center features two performance venues: the 2,500-seat Verizon Hall, a cello-shaped concert hall with mahogany walls and state-of-the-art acoustics designed especially for The Philadelphia Orchestra by Russell Johnson, and the 650-seat Perelman Theater, with a stage that rotates to accommodate chamber music, recitals and dance. The two performance spaces are free-standing structures and are surrounded by a public plaza, walkways, restaurants, a gift shop, and a roof-top garden offering spectacular views of the Philadelphia skyline.
The two venues combined are home to The Philadelphia Orchestra and seven other resident companies. Verizon Hall is now home to The Philadelphia Orchestra and Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. The Perelman Theater houses The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, American Theater Arts for Youth, PHILADANCO, and The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. |
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