A plan to transform Filbert Street around Reading Terminal Market into a multi-use public space finally broke ground Tuesday, three years after it was first announced.
The project, which was originally announced in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, will designate the approximately 15,000 square feet of public space adjacent to the market as a new streetscape that will allow for public and private events, as well as seasonal festivals.
It will reconstruct the 1100 block of Filbert Street into a seasonal "festival street" and multi-use public space, officials said in a press release. Reading Terminal Market says the $1 million initiative includes three main focuses: an improved streetscape, modular street furniture, and art installations.
Both temporary and permanent art installations will be a part of the project, including public murals, sculptures and ongoing cultural programming.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
The new modular street furniture will increase the market's seating and dining capacity and initiate new opportunities for pop-up retail kiosks.
The finished streetscape will create the first curb-less street in the City of Philadelphia. The improvements will also allow for increased access to public transit, parking flexibility and a new designated rideshare zone.
Don't worry, you will still be able to enjoy all the market has to offer during construction.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Reading Terminal Market remains open during normal hours; however, the Filbert Street doors will be closed throughout the duration of the transformation. You can enter the market through the doors at 12th Street or Arch Street.
