The future of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway may depend on whether the design of a new set of benches is "traditional" or "contemporary."
Mark Focht, executive director of Fairmount Park, unveiled two competing designs for the park benches that will eventually line the sidewalks of the Parkway.
Speaking before a gathering of about 10 Fairmount Park employees huddled together for warmth at the intersection of 16th Street and the Parkway, Focht asked the citizens of Philadelphia to "help us make a very important decision."
He said that plans are in the works to beautify the Parkway and that improved benches are the first step toward a new sidewalk to line the roadway between City Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Before he was interrupted by a local television news crew and had to restart his speech, Focht said that the benches give the museum and other cultural institutions along the Parkway a "leg up on their future developments."
First, however, the Fairmount Park Commission must agree upon a bench design.
The two competing designs on display were developed by Peta Raabe -- the landscape architect spearheading the Parkway's renovations and a 1982 graduate of what is now the Penn School of Design.
She elaborated upon the differences between the two benches.
Raabe described one -- a wooden bench with a black metal frame -- as "traditional."
The other -- which only appeared to differ from its traditional counterpart in its shiny steel frame -- she named "contemporary."
Raabe called the contemporary bench more forward-looking.
She prefers this model because the "future of the Parkway is the thing we should be thinking about."
Robin Klink, Fairmount Park administrative systems manager and crowd member, disagreed.
"I prefer the traditional," she said with a laugh, poking fun at the seriousness of the proceedings.
But a serious attitude did not prevail for the entire event.
After Focht finished speaking, several Fairmount Park employees tried to see how many people could cram onto the contemporary bench at once.
The benches will be on display between 16th and 17th streets on the south side of the Parkway until early next month, Focht said.
During that time, he invited Philadelphia residents to "come down ... test [the benches] out ... and give us your feedback."
