Landscape Information
This two-acre rectilinear park—located in the Logan Square neighborhood between 18th and 19th Streets was designed by artist Athena Tacha as an “environmental sculpture.” Originally used by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, in the 1970s the parcel was acquired by a developer and in 1981, as part of Philadelphia's pioneering Percent for Art program, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority engaged Tacha to transform the site concurrent with the neighborhood’s redevelopment. The park was completed in 1992.
Tacha’s design comprises a central group of curvilinear planted terraces that form a gently stepped irregular mound. Named Connections, the stepped terraces rise at one-half to two-foot intervals, reach a maximum height of seven feet, and invite exploration. Framed by arcing Pennsylvania brown stone retaining walls, the terraces converge at nine groups of vertical granite boulders arranged in the tradition of rock gardens. Tacha describes the rock clusters as “nodes of energy,” inspired by the relationship between subatomic particles. Twenty-nine crescent-shaped raised beds emanate from the groupings, each planted with a different species of herbaceous flowering plants and shrubs, selected by Tacha to create “unified fields of color and texture.”
Intended to be viewed from ground level and from neighboring high-rise residential and commercial buildings, Connections is framed by crushed stone paths lined with benches. In the absence of a perimeter fence along 18th and 19th streets, the park provides porous access to its neighbors. Diagonal paths from each corner create irregular-shaped lawn panels planted with more than 50 trees, representing nearly 40 varied species and varieties. Specimens include coniferous (pitch pine, cedar of Lebanon), deciduous shade trees (katsura tree, Japanese pagoda tree, white oak), and flowering ornamental species (cherry, centurion crab).
Managed by the city, the park is stewarded by the non-profit group, Friends of Matthias Baldwin Park, which has guided rehabilitation efforts since 2007.
