Planned new plaza and bike lanes for Market Street get boost from $2.7M in grants

Officials involved in an overhaul of Market Street in Old City say a new round of funding and other momentum has left them confident they’ll be able to complete construction of a new pedestrian plaza by 2026 — the nation’s 250th birthday.

The planned Tamanend Plaza would be located at bustling Second and Market Streets as part of the overhaul, which also includes a “road diet” to accommodate new bike lanes. The statue depicting Chief Tamanend now at Front and Market would be moved to the new plaza and serve as its centerpiece in honor of the Lenni-Lenape, the Indigenous inhabitants of Philadelphia.

At least one federal tribe had objected to the move. But Bill Marrazzo, chair of the nonprofit Independence Historical Trust, said Monday that he is hopeful the move will still happen.

“I’m feeling much more optimistic that in the future, we’ll have formal concurrence for the placement of the Chief Tamanend statue within the Tamanend Plaza site,” Marrazzo said. ”I’m really delighted with the encouragement and thoughtfulness that I’ve received from the leadership of the Lenni-Lenape tribe out in Oklahoma.”

» READ MORE: Proposal to move Philly’s Chief Tamanend statue stalls as tribe objects

The Tamanend Square plan is part of a larger project known as Vision2026, which calls for the transformation of Market Street in Old City by 2026, the nation’s Semiquincentennial. Independence Historical Trust, Independence National Historical Park, Old City District, and the city are all involved in the project.

Plans start at Fifth and Market Streets heading east and include reducing motor vehicle lanes and installing a bike lane in each direction.

Vision2026, which encompasses the central part of Old City, includes the planned Tamanend Plaza to be situated near Christ Church and the Market-Frankford subway station. The pedestrian-friendly plaza would connect with an existing park owned by the National Park Service and the redesigned Market Street corridor.

Marrazzo declined to cite the projected cost of Tamanend Plaza, saying that bidding for the entire Market Street project opened last week and he did not want to influence that.

But Marrazzo said a $1.9 million federal grant announced Monday by U.S. Rep. Brendan F. Boyle (D., Pa.) and an additional $750,000 in funds secured by U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Pa.) helped complete fundraising efforts for the plaza. The two grants total $2.7 million.

“We’ve raised all the monies we need,” Marrazzo said.

He said state support, as well as money from foundations and individual donors, was key.

“This plaza, when completed, will make significant upgrades to the pedestrian environment in Old City,” said Boyle, who said the intersection had suffered from lack of investment. “Such an important space for our city is deserving of an appearance that befits its stature, and through this project, we will deliver that.”

In addition to the new plaza and bike lanes, plans call for enhanced street crossings and new planters at Second and Market.

Moving the Chief Tamanend statue has been a goal of the Market Street plans to honor the Lenape leader who signed a peace treaty with William Penn. The statue, by Raymond Sandoval and erected in 1995, depicts Tamanend standing on a turtle, which symbolizes his clan and Mother Earth. An eagle near his shoulder represents a messenger of the Great Spirit.

Local officials involved in the Market Street project said they do not want to move the statue without a consensus from Indigenous groups.

There are two federally recognized tribes based in Oklahoma.

The Anadarko, Okla.-based Delaware Nation previously said it would not speak about the discussions because it considers them private.

The other federally recognized tribe, the Delaware Tribe of Indians, based in Bartlesville, Okla., told The Inquirer in January that the tribe did not want to move the statue without a consensus, calling it a “metaphoric forced removal from an area of our own land.” The Lenni-Lenape escaped west as colonists took over, and they eventually settled in Oklahoma. The statue, positioned to face the statue of William Penn atop Philadelphia’s City Hall at Broad and Market Streets, and its current location near the waterfront symbolize Lenape attachment to the river.

However, Marrazzo said he has since spoken with Brad KillsCrow, chief of the Delaware Tribe of Indians tribal council, who “is the source of my optimism regarding the movement of the statute.”

This article has been updated to clarify that the statue depicting Chief Tamanend is at Front and Market Streets.