Wanamaker Building partners announce arts lineup in the Grand Court starting in September

Since 1904, the bronze sculpture has been surrounded by shoppers and visitors, and since 1911, it has bathed in the vibrations of the world’s largest musical instrument, the Wanamaker Organ. In May, BSR speculated on whether the space could become a hub for cultural events in time for next year’s Semiquincentennial celebrations. And now, the Eagle’s lonely, silent months are almost over.

Time to Pipe Up!

Starting in September, Opera Philadelphia is partnering with the building’s new owner, New York-based TF Cornerstone (TFC), to launch Pipe Up!, a four-month event series in the Grand Court, with support from the Wyncote Foundation and the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

Philly arts, tourism, and commerce leaders met at the Eagle on July 25 for the announcement, where Opera Philadelphia general director and president Anthony Roth Costanzo emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of opera, and why that makes the company ideally suited to present and curate this diverse new series. “Opera encompasses everything: it is theater, it is fashion, it is art, it is dance, it is technology,” Costanzo said.

The series kicks off on September 7 with a party dubbed Meet Me at the Eagle, featuring the opera’s orchestra, chorus, and special guest singers, plus performances from BalletX, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, and FringeArts. It’ll be ticketed, but free, in line with Opera Philadelphia’s mission for arts access as a civic right. (In 2010, long before its Pick Your Price days, the company famously surprised Macy’s shoppers with a pop-up rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus thanks to more than 650 singers.)

As the series continues, it will feature art installations, a concert from Opera Philadelphia’s new composer-in-residence Nathalie Joachim, and a recital from opera star Lawrence Brownlee. And for Spooky Season, Costanzo told me there will be a Halloween party featuring silent horror films with live organ accompaniment, with Christmas season events to follow. His incubator SCENE is still looking for partners in the space, he added. Arts-makers and organizations with ideas should reach out to [email protected].

Saving Philly's Christmas traditions

But what about the famous Christmas celebrations inside the Wanamaker, including daily light and organ shows (operating since 1956) and the Dickens Village? They’ll be back for the 2025 holidays thanks to the Philadelphia Visitor Center and TFC, said Visitor Center president and CEO Kathryn Ott Lovell, who spoke about her own memories of the show as a child, and sharing it with her daughters.

The partners have launched a Save the Light Show fundraising campaign with a goal of $350,000 to present the show this year and preserve it for the future, and they’re well on their way. As of July 28, the campaign had reached almost 80 percent its goal, thanks in part to a $100,000 challenge grant from the William Penn Foundation, matched by the Connelly Foundation, plus enthusiastic individual donors.

The Dickens Village is a personal favorite of mine—each year, my household makes it a goal to bring a new victim. Its creaky little figures and graciously moldering dioramas depicting the story of A Christmas Carol are both spooky and joyous, true to Dicken’s tale (though I would not want to be alone there after hours, lest any bells ding in the night).

Other reasons to keep the Wanamaker open

Speakers on July 25 emphasized the economic impact of the holiday events. Lovell said that prior to Macy’s closure, the attractions had drawn 2,000 people a day for the light show, and 10,000 a day to Dickens Village—people who go on to shop, drink, dine, and stay in the city. The City’s acting director of commerce, Karen Fegely, said that the Macy’s holiday events drew 400,000 unique visitors annually, about half of those from outside the city, resulting in an estimated $31.7 million in annual economic impact. Councilmember Mark Squilla, also on hand, said that keeping the Wanamaker court activated will help its future as mixed-used retail/residential space.

How will we get there?

But one thing was missing from Friday’s speeches: the looming threat of major cuts to SEPTA, if Republicans in the PA Senate do not act to fund public transit statewide. In June, I reported on the devastating impact these cuts would have on our cultural sector. How will holiday events at the Wanamaker draw hundreds of thousands of people next year if five Regional Rail lines disappear, and all other routes get steep reductions?

Speaking with me, Squilla praised the work of Philly-area reps who have been “actively involved” in the fight for transit funding, and expressed confidence that Senate members would settle on a revenue stream for it in the final state budget. But that outcome is far from certain—public pressure is still badly needed on Republican decision-makers in Harrisburg.

Staying connected to the people

But for now, it’s good to know that the Wanamaker’s new owners are supporting arts and culture in the building. In a statement with Opera Philadelphia, TFC senior vice president and director of planning Jon McMillan said the company is excited “to activate this iconic space, to bring it to life, to fill it with art, culture and music, to showcase the organ, and keep the Grand Court in the Wanamaker building connected to the city and the people of Philadelphia.”

If Philadelphians want to hold them to it, we should show up in large numbers to support the space as a cultural hub for everyone.

At top: The Wanamaker Grand Court, with the Wanamaker Organ above, stands empty except for the Eagle. (Photo by Claire Frisbie.)