Philadelphia's Mann Center to Undergo $70 Million Renovation

The renovation is in celebration of the Center's 50th anniversary

The Mann Center first opened in Philadelphia in 1976, and at that time, it was intended to be the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Over the last few years, the Center has been pulling plans together for a major renovation to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary.

So far, it has raised $56 million of its $70 million goal, and is now entering the final, public stage of fundraising. The Center will then close for a year to allow the works to occur.

The plans for the new center include a new main entry canopy and a plaza three times the size of the current one. Part of the Center's open-air concert shed will be turned into a 4,900-square-foot LED screen that will show video and kinetic artwork. Digital pillars and new way-finding cues will be installed throughout the outdoor venue, and the lighting and landscaping will also be refreshed.

The new center will also include a Mann Hall of Fame, to draw public attention to the many artists who have performed there over the years. These include the pianist Van Cliburn, conductors Yevgeny Svetlanov and Klaus Tennstedt, contralto Marian Anderson (as narrator), pianist and conductor Leonard Bernstein, and conductor Zubin Mehta.

"We’re on course to get to $70 million in this public phase," said Catherine M. Cahill, president and CEO of the Mann Center for the Performing Arts. "We’ve done our homework. We believe we are able to find the difference and it will be successful."

"People come for an event or a concert, but they may not know the incredible legacy of the artists that have been here. It blows your mind every time you go through the list. It’s an incredible story."

"We’re not just doing concerts with the orchestra and rock shows. We’re much more than that now. At the end of the day, if the Mann can be considered a key institutional cultural beacon and solution to some of the issues that we are facing where we sit, then amen."