Thomas Paine Plaza Reopens After $18M Renovation

Philadelphia's Thomas Paine Plaza has reopened after an $18 million, three-year renovation. The plaza, located at the base of the Municipal Services Building near City Hall, features a redesigned public square that acknowledges its historic role in Philadelphia and now includes a dedicated skateboarding area.

City officials describe the new Thomas Paine Plaza as a public space with "a series of outdoor 'rooms'" that support various uses and activities. 

According to a PhillyVoice report, the new skate zone, funded in part by Vans, features a grind box inspired by a domino piece and uses salvaged granite from the original Love Park and other past skate spaces. Vans contributed $300,000 to create a durable granite skating surface. The plaza project also includes a new roof system, better lighting, accessible ramps, shaded seating, and bike storage to enhance usability.

Philadelphia officials, including deputy director Pedro Pinto, describe the project as revitalizing a major civic space that hosts demonstrations and serves the community.

"It's one of the major civic spaces in the city," Pinto said in a statement shared with CBS News Philadelphia. "This plaza is renowned for demonstration spaces, and it was critical to us to activate it and engage it with as many people as we could to complement the work that's been done at Dilworth and at Love Park."

The plaza also features the renowned Jacques Lipchitz sculpture "Government of the People." The piece underwent cleaning earlier this year. Installed in 1976, the 30-foot-tall sculpture has had its share of controversy over the decades. According to the PhillyVoice, former Mayor Frank Rizzo detested the sculpture. His supporters erected a bronze statue of the former mayor next to "Government of the People," but the city removed it in 2020 during protests over the police killing of George Floyd.