Penn Park, a 24-acre multilevel green space on the eastern edge of the University of Pennsylvania’s campus, opened to the public for the first time Thursday.
“There was a time when Penn was walled off from the city,” President Amy Gutmann said yesterday. “This is a true transformation where we’re actually connecting ourselves to the city with a green space. The title of our master plan is called Penn Connects, and this truly connects us.”
The park’s amenities include two NCAA regulation athletic fields, a 470-seat multipurpose stadium, 12 tennis courts with 200-seat viewing stands, landscaped pathways and elevated footpaths.
The park also boasts sustainable elements. Its permeable synthetic turf fields do not require mowing and drain water into underground cisterns for reuse in on-site irrigation.
“There will be more opportunities for interaction as both the community and our students walk, bike, or run through the park,” Vice President of Facilities and Recreation Anne Papageorge said.
