PHILADELPHIA - (November 30, 2015) - Philadelphia’s newest pocket park is now open in University City. The University City Science Center has transformed a drab pedestrian walkway on 37th Street between Market and Chestnut Streets into Innovation Plaza, a vibrant space that reflects the uCity Square community it serves, offering a place of interaction and connection, inspiring possibilities and supporting a creative culture.
An informal pop-up party celebrating the opening of Innovation Plaza will be held on Friday, December 4th from 4 – 6 p.m. The happy hour will feature light bites, warm drinks, and music, as well as outdoor games and raffles. For more information, or to RSVP, go to: http://billy-penn.ticketleap.com/innovation-plaza-kickoff-launch-party/details.
A formal dedication ceremony will be scheduled for Spring 2016. With seating, landscaped plantings, game tables and an entertainment zone, Innovation Plaza is an active place for people to relax, socialize, work and play. Innovation Plaza is also home to the Innovators Walk of Fame, which shines a spotlight on Greater Philadelphia’s rich and storied history of innovation.
“Innovation Plaza fits right in with our vision for uCity Square,” says Science Center President & CEO Stephen S. Tang, Ph.D., MBA. “Fostering a live/work/play environment in the heart of University City is a key goal for the Science Center, as we expand our footprint and rebrand our physical campus as uCity Square.”
The design principle behind Innovation Plaza is the Golden Section, the underlying proportion found in the design of all nature and life that has inspired architects and designers for millennia. Scientists, mathematicians, engineers and artists all use the Golden Section as a foundational design structure. This proportion is infinitely scalable and is reflected in the two dimensional and three-dimensional elements of the Plaza. The Science Center partnered with these companies along the walkway to bring Innovation Plaza to life: International House Philadelphia, National Board of Medical Examiners, PECO, University Lutheran Church and the 3624 Condominium Association.
The design and construction of Innovation Plaza was financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Financing Authority. Innovation Plaza is also made possible through the support of our many donors and sponsors: 3624 Science Center Condominium; Maxine Ballen; Kenneth Blank and Donna Murasko; CAI; Comcast; Drexel University; Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates; EisnerAmper LLP; Fox Chase Bank Charitable Foundation; International House Philadelphia; Philip R. Johnson; David and Eunice King; William Marrazzo; Militia Hill Ventures; National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME); New Jersey Technology Council; NewSpring Capital; Pennoni Associates Inc.; The PFM Group; Phoenix IP Ventures; Safeguard Scientifics, Inc.; Stephen S. Tang and Family; Paul and Carol Touhey; University Lutheran Church; University of Pennsylvania; University of the Sciences; Tara Weiner; and Wexford Science & Technology, LLC, A BioMed Realty Company.
About the Science Center
Located in the heart of uCity Square, the University City Science Center is a dynamic hub for innovation, and entrepreneurship and technology development in the Greater Philadelphia region. Founded in 1963 as the nation’s first urban research park, it provides business incubation, programming, lab and office facilities, and support services for entrepreneurs, start-ups, and growing and established companies. Graduate firms and current residents of the Science Center’s business incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in Greater Philadelphia and drive $12.9 billion in economic activity in the region annually. For more information about the Science Center, go to www.sciencecenter.org or view our 2016 Annual Review at UCSCReview.org
