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Our Places, Halls and Spaces
The grandeur begins with Commonwealth Plaza and extends to the Center’s main performance spaces, the intimate Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Theater and the sweeping Verizon Hall—soon to be home to a magnificent pipe organ. In each of these spaces, different events reached out compellingly to different parts of the community. The grand halls of the Kimmel Center are open to the public for more than our performances. Volunteers lead free tours of the facility nearly every day of the week, showing thousands of visitors the world of a working performing arts center inside this architectural triumph.
We presented nearly 100 free performances throughout the season in Commonwealth Plaza. In summer, Perelman Theater became a dynamic dance hall for a series of dance parties, this year featuring Guinean, Senegalese and South American bands. From a co-production with The Curtis Institute of Music of Ned Rorem’s opera Miss Julie, to the explosive soul music of Sweet Honey in the Rock, the Center attracted an increasingly diverse audience throughout the year.
"The Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center proved to be the ideal choice for our 'Fox NFL Saturday Night' broadcast. The intimacy of the theater, the wide range of technical capabilities and the flexibility of the staff contributed to a successful program."
People experienced the Kimmel Center in other memorable ways, too. Philadelphia’s colleges and universities such as Peirce College and Thomas Jefferson University, which inaugurated its fourth president here, used our halls for their meaningful ceremonies. Local schools such as Simon Gratz High staged their graduations in our auditoria; organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League chose the Kimmel Center to celebrate major honorees.
In the halls and spaces of the Kimmel Center, the people of our community have a place not only to enjoy the arts, but also to celebrate the unforgettable moments of their lives.
"There are so many elements to giving a good performance, and we believe our treatment at the Kimmel Center allowed us to relax and concentrate on our art."
The Dorrance H. Hamilton Garden
Need to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, even for a little while? The best getaway we know is under the sparkling glass roof of the Kimmel Center, and it’s open to everyone. High above the Avenue of the Arts, you can enjoy a view of the city’s dramatic skyline in a lush natural setting.
During the day or on a Kimmel Center performance evening, take the elevator up to this lovely rooftop garden. It’s one of the most distinctive destinations in town. The garden has served as a perfect environment for weddings, parties and receptions. It accommodates two hundred people or one person who wants a quick escape without ever leaving the city.
