Center City District retains Madison Marquette Retail Services to lease retail space for Dilworth Plaza
PHILADELPHIA, PA, March 22, 2013 – Philadelphia’s Center City District (CCD), a private-sector sponsored business improvement district, today announced the availability of premium retail space for the operation of a café concept as the cornerstone of its major transformation of Dilworth Plaza on the west side of historic City Hall into the civic centerpiece of Philadelphia. The café destination will encompass 600 square feet with indoor and outdoor seating that can accommodate 60.
“Dilworth Plaza will be one of the most important new civic spaces in the country, providing retailers the opportunity to operate in the Center Square of the city,” said Paul R. Levy President & CEO of Center City District.
The Dilworth Plaza transformation, which began in January 2012 and is slated for completion in Summer 2014, will create a barrier-free plaza with generous public amenities. Adjacent to the restored National Historic Landmark City Hall, the Plaza will link the thriving Avenue of the Arts to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and connect West Market office buildings to convention hotels and department stores on Market East.
The café will be strategically located on the northeast corner of the Plaza with excellent visibility from the Pennsylvania Convention Center, positioned at the north end of this high-traffic, high-profile gathering space. The prime location will give retailers access to the 150,000 workers, 32,000 residents and more than 7,300 hotel rooms within a 15-minute walk of the Plaza.
CCD competitively selected Madison Marquette Retail Services (MMRS) – a premier national real estate development, leasing and management firm specializing in infill, mixed-use, community and specialty retail properties in the United States – as an advisor in its efforts to secure a premier operator for the café space and additional retail moving forward.
“We are thrilled at the opportunity to lend our retail expertise to this important civic project,” said John-david W. Franklin, SCLS, Senior Vice President of MMRS. “The café component of Dilworth Plaza will create an exciting destination, adding to the community feel of this impressive project, which will offer unparalleled pedestrian traffic and high visibility,” Franklin added.
“In order to complete the transformation of Dilworth Plaza, we knew it was important to partner with a company with the national experience of MMRS, who has realized numerous successful projects in our region and whose Philadelphia offices are just blocks from City Hall,” said Levy. “Their experience is essential to helping us identify the best possible operator for the café space and to securing other retailers for the site.”
In addition to the Dilworth Plaza consultation, MMRS will assist CCD in the enhancement of retail activities in two other downtown parks, Sister Cities Park and John F. Collins Park.
About Madison Marquette Retail Services (MMRS):
MMRS provides a full range of real estate services for 20 million square feet of retail and mixed-use properties throughout the United States. The company specializes in enhancing the value of retail assets through an integrated approach to leasing, property management, marketing and development services. MMRS has offices located in Ft. Lauderdale, Charlotte, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Diego, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
About Center City District:
The Center city District is a private-sector sponsored business improvement district committed to providing supplemental services that make Philadelphia’s downtown clean, safe and attractive.
For more information about Center City District please visit www.centercityphila.org.
