Avenue of the Arts

The Avenue of the Arts is located in Center City Philadelphia on Broad St between Washington Avenue and Glenwood Avenue. The Avenue of the Arts, Inc. is the non-profit organization that runs the Avenue and is responsible for the coordination and development of the arts district.

            AAI has had a crucial role in the development of key landmarks for Philadelphia’s art culture. They have been involved in the revitalization or construction of the Kimmel Center, Clef Club, Freedom Theatre, and Wilma Theatre. AAI is also responsible for the Avenue of the Arts annual Festival, the Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, maintenance of the Walk of Fame, maintenance of the double A lights, and maintenance of the planters down Broad St. Today, its efforts are focused on revitalizing the northern part of Broad St. Their newest project has been the start of revitalization of City Hall and plans include an ice-skating rink and a park ("About AAI"). 

            Overall, the region has been quite impressive in bringing in revenue for the City. In 2006, about $424 million was generated on the Avenue. This was a gain of about $150 million that supported just over 6,000 jobs ("About AAI"). 

            I thought I could not mention classical music and the arts without mentioning the Avenue of the Arts. Their advocacy for the arts and this city has been phenomenal. Not only are they responsible for many of the arts venues’ construction, but also they are responsible for the overall revitalization of Center City. Without this dedicated committee board we would not have the fun district that is the Avenue of the Arts and Center City most definitely would not be as beautiful or as fun to visit. 

Works cited

About AAI (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.avenueofthearts.org/about_facts.asp