Kimmel Center Glass Sparkles as Cleaning Contract is Awarded
November 19, 2001
Workers from Jenkintown Building Services clean The Kimmel Center's glass domed roof.
Since keeping the spectacular glass dome and interior sparkling is a top priority, the Center announced that it has awarded the contract to Jenkintown Building Services, Inc., of Wyncote, Pa., the region's premier window cleaning and maintenance company, with more than 60 years of experience cleaning many of the city's major glass towers and other high-profile buildings, including One Liberty and Liberty Two, the Independence Blue Cross Building, the Mellon Bank Center, and the PECO Energy headquarters.
"The unique use of glass in the Kimmel Center makes it one of the most beautiful buildings of its kind anywhere in the world," said Regional Performing Arts Center President Leslie Anne Miller. "The building is unique, but the extensive use of glass poses challenges that demand experience and skill on the part of those who are charged with keeping it clean. We chose Jenkintown Building Services because they have the experience and the track record of achievement that makes them the very best choice for the task, and we look forward to a good working relationship that makes the Kimmel Center shine."
Key facts of the contract include:
- The window contract for the Kimmel Center includes cleaning all glass and metal frames throughout the building, including the topside and underside of the vault, the end walls, all railing glass, and all glass in the lower levels of the Center;
- The Kimmel Center, with its stunning vaulted dome, contains more than 12 miles of glass, including 164,000 square feet of glass in the roof alone, which at its center stands 150 feet high and 357 feet long. A 12-story building could fit in the lobby;
- There are more than 2.5 miles of additional glass inside the building, primarily in the curved glass rails that accentuate the elegant lines of the building's atrium;
- The dramatic curtain wall at the front of the building contains 24,000 square feet of glass;
- There are more than 15,000 window surfaces in the building, as well as approximately 50,000 window frames that are part of the cleaning contract;
- It will take over 40,000 strokes of the squeegee and over 750,000 strokes of the window scraper to remove all of the construction debris on the glass;
- Approximately 30 workers will work multiple shifts seven days a week until opening day to fully clean the Center's glass surfaces;
- The amount of glass in the building makes keeping it clean a top priority. Indeed, the task of keeping the glass clean is a 365-day a year job, and once the Center opens, some portion of the glass will be cleaned every day.
"We are proud of our track record in Philadelphia as the leading window cleaning company in the region," said Marty Tuzman, President of Jenkintown Building Services. "We are thrilled to be awarded the contract to clean the glass at the Kimmel Center, which is set to become one of the true landmark buildings in Philadelphia. It presents a number of challenges, too, particularly in terms of accessing and cleaning the vaulted dome and the window frames that are a part of it. But we are confident that we have the technology and experience to do the job right, and we look forward to the task."
"Visitors and passersby who see the Kimmel Center often ask the same question: 'How do they keep the windows clean?'" said Miller. "Today's announcement answers that question, and as today's demonstration makes clear, we intend to make sure that this beautiful building sparkles every day."
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