Philly Seeks Vendor to Breathe New Life Into LOVE Park

If you're exploring LOVE Park in Center City, you can't miss the iconic LOVE Park Welcome Center shaped like a flying saucer. Although the building has long been without a vendor to occupy it, city officials are trying once again to breathe new life into the familiar landmark.

On Wednesday, May 21, the city's Parks & Recreation Department issued a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) inviting feedback about what to do with the LOVE Park Welcome Center in light of the city's semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) celebration next year.

"LOVE Park is one of Philadelphia's most treasured civic spaces, and the Saucer sits at its center," Parks and Recreation commissioner Susan Slawson said in a statement shared with the PhillyVoice. "We are looking for a partner who shares our vision of a welcoming and joyful place that reflects Philadelphia, its neighborhoods, its culture, and its people."

City officials noted that this recent RFEI will not replace a formal Request for Proposals for the building. In its RFEI, the city says it imagines the building would serve as a "civic-focused venue" serving food and beverages, displaying, public art, and supporting programming at LOVE Park. 

The city is searching for a vendor that will operate the facility year-round and have the building open in early 2026.

According to a PhillyVoice report, the building was constructed in 1960 as the Philadelphia Hospitality Center before the original LOVE Park was finalized during the mid-1960s. Situated at the corner of 16th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, the structure, with its signature flying saucer design, was iniitially opened as a tourism spot promoting attractions of Fairmount Park.