A judging panel, overseen by Avenue of the Arts, Inc. (AAI) Chairman Dianne Semingson, has chosen Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and Jonathan Alderson Landscape Architects, Inc., to participate in Phase II of the “New Vision for South Broad Street” Request for Proposal (RFP) project. The two teams, selected from four finalists (the other two were LRSLA Studio and Cairone & Kaupp, Inc.) are charged with pushing forward a program to reinvigorate South Broad Street from City Hall to Washington Avenue.

“We originally sought to select one winning vision from the proposals. However, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson and Jonathan Alderson Landscape Architects created such tremendous visions that we chose to work intimately with both teams to refine their proposals to more directly meet the needs of our stakeholders,” said Paul Beideman, president and CEO of AAI.  

The two firms will present refined proposals in early 2013 and one winner will be selected.The winning vision will be featured at the 2013 Philadelphia Flower Show and be used as a guide to help build the future of the Avenue of the Arts.  

“AAI has done a tremendous job with facilitating the new vision project and selecting two proposals that provide opportunities to not only repair the street’s pain points, but also create possibilities that may not have been probable 20 years ago,” said Alan Greenberger, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Chairman of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. “This project presents a true opportunity for South Broad Street, and I hope the city and the people of Philadelphia get behind it.”

In addition to Greenberger, the panel of judges consisted of:
    Drew Becher, president of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
    Sean Buffington, president and CEO of the University of the Arts
    Carl Dranoff, president and CEO of Dranoff Properties 
    Rahim Islam, president and CEO of Universal Companies 
    Paul Levy, executive director of the Central Philadelphia Development Corporation
    Melissa Ludwig, senior vice president and regional director of stores at Macy’s
    Marsha Moss, public art curator and consultant
    Patricia Wellenbach, chairman of AAI South Broad Street Task Force