Philadelphia Portal will move from LOVE Park to location in coming weeks
Philadelphia's interactive Portal — which connects the City of Brotherly Love to cities around the world in Ireland, Lithuania and Poland via video — is leaving LOVE Park. But while the installation is temporarily shut down, officials say it will remain in the city, with some changes on the way.
During a press conference Wednesday, the company behind the Portal confirmed the installation will be moved in the next two weeks but didn't say where it's headed.
Director Joseph Callahan said owners have narrowed it down to three options, and will officially reveal where the Portal is moving next week, but he did confirm that it'll stay in the Center City area.
And once the Portal does make its move, it'll stay in the new spot for about a year. After that, Callahan said the plan is to move the Portal closer to Independence Hall for America's 250th birthday celebrations in 2026.
As for the original position in LOVE Park, Callahan said the choice was a strategic location; it could accommodate large crowds, but there were challenges.
"LOVE Park … was a well-positioned place. It could accommodate hundreds of people around it. The one challenge was the fountain, and the other was … we had to move it for Christmas Village," Callahan said. "Indoors is an option, but the requirement is that there has to be foot traffic there, and it has to be publicly accessible."
The Portal has been disconnected for several weeks after repeated incidents of vandalism and damage. In one case, police say vandals stole copper wire, and in another, the screen was smashed.
Wednesday, Callahan said the Portal is currently undergoing maintenance and will be back online in LOVE Park Friday morning.
Callahan previously insisted vandalism is not a factor in the decision to move the portal, adding that Philadelphia has been the "best place" for the project, despite the fact that similar installations in other cities have not experienced damage.
Local reactions to the portal's temporary shutdown have been mixed.
"I'm so sad that it had to come to this. It's so beautiful," said Elizabeth Gross, who works near the portal.
Cyle Martin, a Philadelphia resident, had a different take.
"It's Philly. It's just Philly," he said. "It's gonna happen. Look what we did during the Super Bowl. We tear this city down any chance we get."
According to Callahan, plans are being made to add the Philippines to the network and introduce live music and dance performances outside the portal.
