PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Dell Music Center, an open-air amphitheater in East Fairmount Park, is getting a $6.9 million face lift.
Susan Slawson, Dell Music Center’s general manager, says renovations started in September 2022. Come the end of this summer, people will see things like a new stage and additional seating, as well as remodeled bathrooms and offices.
“This right here is huge,” Slawson said. “The stage hasn’t been done maybe in 70 years. … So this is huge to be able to come and invite our guests into almost a new facility.”
While renovations will carry on towards the end of the summer, that will not have too big of an impact on performances, as acts will still be able to perform there through September.
“So because of the construction we know we are going to have an abridged season, but we will start our season sometime mid August and it will go further into September, where we usually stop – the beginning of September,” she said. “We will have a shorter season this year.”
The open-air amphitheater was originally built in 1929 and is managed by the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.
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City Council President Darrell Clarke says the music venue is a treasure to the city.
“As a person who grew up in the neighborhood, when we were younger, we actually didn’t have money to, like, actually come inside, so we’d be over there, looking through that fence. … you could hear the music and it was sounding good,” he recalled.
“You could hear the music over there on 33rd Street. That’s why this was so important because it was genuinely a venue for the neighborhood. It continues to be a venue for the neighborhood.”