Benjamin Franklin Parkway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a scenic avenue that runs through the cultural heart of Philadelphia. The Parkway serves as an integral part of the Museum District of Philadelphia.
Named for favorite son Benjamin Franklin, the Parkway is a mile-long diagonal roadway that cuts across the grid pattern of Center City's Northwest quadrant (similar, for example, to Washington, D.C.'s street pattern). It starts at the Philadelphia City Hall and ends at Eakins Oval in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Some of the most famous sites in Philadelphia are visible here: Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Swann Fountain, which is encircled by Logan Circle, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Rodin Museum. At its ending point, the parkway provides access to Kelly and Martin Luther King Drives in Fairmount Park and the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76).
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[edit] Urban Renewal
In a city famous for its planning, the Parkway represents one of the earliest examples of urban renewal in the United States. The road was constructed to ease heavy industrial congestion in Center City and to restore Philadelphia's natural and artistic beauty. French urban planner Jacques Gréber designed the Parkway to emulate the Champs-Élysées in Paris, terminating at the Art Museum rather than the Arc de Triomphe, giving the notion of the Parkway as being "a slice of Paris in Philadelphia." The Parkway also gives off an international flavor by being lined with flags of countries from around the world.
In recent years, there has been concern that the original plan of a wide, multi-sectioned, multi-laned, tree-lined boulevard, while beautiful to travel on, is not very engaging for pedestrian or other public use. Traffic along the Parkway has decreased considerably because of the completion of Interstate 676, linking the Schuylkill Expressway with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. In response, the roadway has been narrowed somewhat and the sidewalks expanded around Logan Circle. Various plans for the rest of the Parkway, some of which would insert shops and other smaller structures into the long stretches between museums, have been proposed, but none so far have been thought feasible or financially sound.
[edit] Focal point of Center City
Because of its location the parkway is the site for many concerts and parades. On July 2, 2005, the steps of the museum played host to the Philadelphia venue of Live 8, where artists such as Dave Matthews Band, Linkin Park and Maroon 5 performed.
The rotary on the western end of the parkway, at the foot of the Rocky Steps is named Eakins Oval after painter Thomas Eakins.
[edit] Gallery
 Budd BB-1 airplane in front of the Franklin Institute |
 Dalí on the Rocky Steps |
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 Statue of George Washington in Eakins Oval by Rudolf Siemering |
 thumb|View of the Ben Franklin Parkway from the top of the Rocky Steps |
