Centennial Gateway & Welsh Fountain Gardens
The Centennial Gateway and Welsh Fountain Gardens will reintroduce a historic gateway into West Fairmount Park, while creating a vibrant and welcoming public space.
This project will repair the historic Welsh Fountain and reinvigorate ten acres of surrounding park land at the heart of the Centennial District, once home to the 1876 Centennial Exhibition and World’s Fair. Designed with community input, the Centennial Gateway will feature welcoming paths and enhanced landscaping alongside critical traffic calming measures, inviting neighbors and visitors into the Welsh Fountain Gardens where they will experience the fully restored 1887 Welsh Fountain and its surrounding gardens. Areas of play and exploration will be balanced by contemplative places and sculptures. The Fair Play campaign funded the Centennial Gateway’s completed pedestrian safety projects and park entryway closest to the Parkside neighborhood, and is raising a significant portion of the remaining funds to enable the Welsh Fountain Gardens to break ground in the fall of 2026.
For further information, check out our project page.
Recognition:
Nelson Byrd Woltz to reimagine Welsh Fountain Garden in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, The Architect’s Newspaper, June 2025
Fairmount Park Conservancy seeks public input for neighborhood revitalization efforts, KYW, June 2024
Credits
Project Team: Fairmount Park Conservancy, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, Nelson Byrd Woltz
Renderings: Design Distill, courtesy of Nelson Byrd Woltz
