PHILADELPHIA, March 13, 2019– Today, Mayor Jim Kenney was joined by Council President Darrell Clarke and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell to announce that prominent Philadelphia restauratuers and business owners Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran of Safran Turney Hospitality, along with partner Terence Lewis, will open Loveluck, a full-service restaurant and bar located in LOVE Park’s iconic Welcome Center. TheMayor ceremoniously unveiled the specialty glass manufactured by LOVE Park Welcome Center presenting sponsor Saint-Gobain, and acknowledged other critical partners in the renovation of this historic site, including  Fairmount Park Conservancy. 

“Loveluck will transform the Welcome Center into a destination for quality dining and socializing. This opening marks another positive step in the rebirth of LOVE Park,” said Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.

Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest building materials companies and manufacturer of innovative material solutions,  is providing funding, sustainable building materials, and buildingscience expertise to support the much-anticipated redevelopment of the Welcome Center building. Fairmount Park Conservancy is the nonprofit champion of Philadelphia’s parks and has partnered with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation on many transformative programs and initiatives. 

After a full-scale renovation of the LOVE Park Welcome Center, designed by Kieran Timberlake, Turney and Safran will work with Philadelphia-based Stokes Architecture+Design, as well as Rohe Creative, to collaborate on  Loveluck’s layout and interior. The distinctive and elevated circular space will provide 360-degree views of the park offered through the custom Saint-Gobain Glass, which utilizes pioneering coating technologies to enhance the architects’ vision, provide optimum occupant thermal comfort, and allow for unrestricted views of the park. Current plans for the restaurant include indoor seating for 60, 40 seats on the balcony, and an additional 80 seats on the terrace located at the plaza level of the park. 

“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to create a dining experience within an iconic structure at one of Philadelphia’s most treasured parks,” says Chef Turney, whose cooking and entrepreneurship have earned her praise and recognition, including recently being named Philadelphia Magazine’s Trailblazer for 2019. “As with our other restaurants, we want to create an experience at Loveluck that is approachable and fun,” says Safran.  

“I am so excited that Safran Turney Hospitality, owners of some of Philadelphia’s most successful and welcoming restaurants have decided to open their next restaurant at the LOVE Park Welcome Center,” said Kathryn Ott Lovell, Commisisoner, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation. “Their investment in LOVE Park is another sign of the resurgence of LOVE Park”   

City officials toured the under-construction Welcome Center and experienced the spectacular panoramicviews that are now available at the facility because of the newly installed glass glazing system.The Welcome Center’s formerglazing system was removed as part of the renovation process and replaced with 2,500 square feet of custom energy-efficient structural glazing manufactured by Saint-Gobain. The new glazing system will appear as a seamless system with each panel of glazing measuring approximately 14’ x 3’5”.

“Saint-Gobain has a rich legacy rooted in our ability to adapt over the past 353 years and continuously develop innovative solutions that impact people’s well-being every day,” said Carmen Ferrigno, Vice President of Communications, Branding and Philanthropy, Saint-Gobain North America and Executive Director of the Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation. “As Philadelphia works to evolve LOVE Park, we’re honored to stand alongside the city to share in an expression of what makes Philly great: bridging the old with the new, reinventing an iconic structure in a unique and relevant way, and marrying the head and the heart, technology and human impact, for future generations of visitors the world over.”

Construction on LOVE Park and the Welcome Center began in 2016. The city-led redesign was conceived in partnership between Hargreaves Associates and KieranTimberlake in 2015 after a national selection process and robust community engagement process. 

“The renovation of the LOVE Park Welcome Center is another great example of what can happen when public, private, and nonprofit partners come together to support Philadelphia’s parks,” said John Gattuso, Board President of Fairmount Park Conservancy. “We are thrilled to be a part of the renovation of this iconic building and see LOVE Park come to life.”

The redesigned park reopened in spring 2018 with a wide variety of new and exciting programs. The new LOVE Park features the famous LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana, more green space, a new fountain, a reorganized layout, and several food truck vendors.  

Loveluck is slated to open in late fall 2019, withdinner service to start, shortly followed by lunch and weekend brunch. More details on Loveluck will be shared as they are available, but in the meantime,please follow the restaurant (@LoveluckPhilly) on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

About Chef Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran

Chef Marcie Turney and partner Valerie Safran are the founders of Safran Turney Hospitality, a group of award-winning restaurants and lifestyle boutiques. Their ingenuity and passion have made them two of Philadelphia’s most prolific businesspeople, creators of famous dishes – the budino, for example, in all its forms – buzzy restaurants, and popularnovelty gifts. Today, Safran Turney Hospitality currently includes:

• Lolita, a modern Mexican bar and restaurant.
• Barbuzzo, a Mediterranean kitchen and bar. 
• Jamonera, an Andalusian tapas bar.
• Little Nonna’s, an Italian-American eatery.
•  Bud & Marilyn’s, a classic American restaurant named after Chef Turney’s grandparents, Bud and Marilyn Briese, who in 1950 opened a restaurant called The Spot in Ripon, Wisconsin.
  • Later this year, a second Bud & Marilyn’s location will openin the Philadelphia International Airport.
• Grocery, a gourmet prepared food market.
• Open House, a gift boutique offering stylish home accessories, bath and body products, as well as jewelry and baby gear.
• Verde, a lifestyle boutique offering jewelry, women’s accessories, clothing, and gifts. It also serves as the home for Marcie Blaine Chocolates.
• Marcie Blaine Artisanal Chocolates, Chef Turney’s own signature line of chocolates, which are sold online and in-store at Verde.
• “He Said, She Said” specialized desk nameplates – this traditional desk accessory has been wittily rewritten with modern mantras, verbiage, personal statements, and colloquialisms.
• Upstairs at Barbuzzo, a private event space located directly above Barbuzzo.

About Saint-Gobain in North America 

Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest building materials companies and manufacturer of innovative material solutions, helps create great living spaces by combining comfort and sustainability. For more than three-and-a-half centuries, Saint-Gobain has been enhancing the well-being of people everywhere, whether it’s by addressing climate change, delivering true sustainable development, advancing the information revolution, participating in medical breakthroughs or playing a vital role in space exploration.

In North America, Saint-Gobain has approximately 160 locations and more than 15,500 employees. In the United States and Canada, Saint-Gobain reported sales of approximately $6.5 billion in 2018. Learn more about Saint-Gobain North America by visiting www.saint-gobain-northamerica.comand connect with Saint-Gobain North America on Facebook, Twitterand LinkedIn.

About Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) advances the prosperity of the city and the progress of her people through intentional and sustained stewardship of nearly 10,200 acres of public land and waterways as well as through hundreds of safe, stimulating recreation, environmental, and cultural centers. PPR promotes the well-being and growth of the city’s residents by connecting them to the natural world around them, to each other, and to fun, physical, and social opportunities. PPR is responsible for the upkeep of historically significant Philadelphia events and specialty venues, and works collaboratively with communities and organizations in leading capital projects and the introduction of inventive programming. To learn more about Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, visit us at www.phila.gov/parksandrec, and follow @philaparkandrec on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr.

About Fairmount Park Conservancy

Fairmount Park Conservancy exists to champion Philadelphia’s parks. We lead capital projects and historic preservation efforts, foster neighborhood park stewardship, attract and leverage investments, and develop innovative programs throughout the 10,200 acres that include Fairmount Park and more than 100 neighborhood parks around the city. For more information, please visit myphillypark.org, join us at facebook.com/fairmountparkconservancy, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter @myphillypark.

# # #