Ed Rendell wants to build a national monument in LOVE Park for the Semiquincentennial. The city said no.

Former Gov. Ed Rendell has never been one to shirk a party. Especially one that puts Philly on the worldwide stage. That’s why he’s raising money to build a national monument in LOVE Park for America’s 250th birthday in 2026.

Since 2019, the former mayor and governor has chaired Philadelphia250, a nonprofit founded to ensure that Philadelphia serves as the centerpiece of the country’s Semiquincentennial celebrations in 2026.

“I put on my mayor’s hat to think about what would make Philadelphia the center of attention,” said Rendell, 81, during a recent interview at his East Falls home.

At the heart of Rendell’s vision for the 250th is the type of ambitious legacy project that has defined past centennial celebrations, but has so far been lacking in Philly’s preparations for 2026: a permanent, interactive, domed monument to democracy in LOVE Park called the National Light.

Rendell has lined up designers and raised millions of dollars to make the monument a reality, wanting to house it in the now vacant, but recently renovated, Fairmount Park Welcome Center at LOVE Park.

But after giving Rendell’s team provisional approval for the site in July, the city rescinded that green light. Now, Rendell’s National Light has nowhere to live.

Rendell has raised over $4 million for the project from private donors, like Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Haverford Trust Company, and is confident he can quickly raise an estimated $20 million to complete the monument. He said if the monument weren’t fully finished by July 2026, its interactive dome could be completed to play a part in the Semiquincentennial celebrations.

He’s now asking the city to reconsider the LOVE Park site.

In July, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Susan Slawson notified Rendell’s National Light team in an email that the monument had been “provisionary approved” and they should schedule a “brief meeting” to discuss its installation and maintenance.

But Rendell’s team said that meeting never materialized. Instead, they say, they were notified by Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s office in September that the city had changed its mind without explanation.

By that point, plans for a larger iteration of the monument to be built at River Field near Paine Park along the Schuylkill Banks had fallen through over residents’ concerns. And more recent conversations for the monument to be built in the Centennial District, near the Please Touch Museum, have fizzled over parking, Rendell said.

“They gave us permission to do some things provisionally, so we made plans, but then we get a note from them that we can’t have LOVE Park,” he said.

Designed as a mix between a futuristic ancient temple and the immersive Sphere music and entertainment arena in Las Vegas, the monument would be a radiating town hall, Rendell said.

Designed by ESI Design — the Manhattan studio behind immersive experiences like the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration and the Statue of Liberty Museum — the monument would incorporate the latest technology to transform the voices of visitors into a harmony of light and sound played across the dome’s giant LED screen.

The space would include more media displays and a theater for educational programming about history and civics, and an event stage for concerts, art performances, and political debates.

For years to come, Rendell said, the glowing dome could serve as a utilitarian monument to civil discourse — and a reminder that American democracy was born in Philadelphia.

“We wanted to make it a gathering place for people thinking about civics, thinking about government, thinking about the state of the country,” said Rendell. “We want this to be Philadelphia’s gift to the country.”

Asking for a nominal 50-year lease, Rendell said he assured city officials he would hire an executive director and operations manager to oversee programming and upkeep of the National Light. Erected in 1960, the flying saucer-shaped Welcome Center underwent $5.6 million in renovations when LOVE Park was rehabbed in 2018. A plan for a restaurant in the 5,500 square-foot building fell through during the pandemic.

Slawson, of Parks and Recreation, said in a statement that the city was “enthusiastic” about the National Light monument, and remains in discussions with Rendell about potential locations. But LOVE Park is no longer an option.

“While LOVE Park was under provisional consideration, it became clear that the monument’s size and footprint made it unfeasible for this site,” Slawson said. “The city and the National Light team have toured alternate sites for the project. The city is still working with former Gov. Rendell and his team to identify a suitable location.”

In October, the city invited the Portal, a traveling video art installation that connects people in different countries, to open in LOVE Park. The Portal is now closed for maintenance.

Rendell said he has seen renewed interest in the National Light project in recent weeks, as discussions over planning and funding for the Semiquincentennial have heated up.

Last month, City Council approved $45 million in funding to help pay for Philadelphia’s Semiquincentennial commemoration. And Parker is expected to propose additional funding for 2026 celebrations in her forthcoming annual budget.

“2026 is not just a year for Philadelphia — it’s a defining opportunity to highlight our city’s passion and unwavering spirit on the global stage,” Parker said in a recent statement about the funding.

City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, who has become an essential planner for 2026, said he supports the National Light monument because “it’s a beautiful Philadelphia story.”

“A legacy project wasn’t planned and Gov. Rendell is stepping up to make that happen for the city,” Thomas said. “We’d love to work together to make that happen.”

Former U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, a member of the federally appointed U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, said he was working to raise federal and private money for the monument.

“It’s a great project,” he said. “And it’s a great thing for Rendell. You can’t deny him. I mean, come on, man district attorney, mayor, governor, DNC Chair, he has a right to put something together.”

Many supporters see the National Light as a fitting legacy project not only for America’s 250th, but also Rendell, who announced in 2018 that he has Parkinson’s disease.

“It would be really wonderful if Ed could complete this project,” said donor Joanna McNeil Lewis, the former president, CEO, and board chair of the Academy of Music, who has funded past efforts to redo the lights of Boathouse Row.

“But in the end,” she said, “it’s not really about him and what he has accomplished for the city. It’s really about his vision, which is to create discourse.”

Rendell said the monument meets the moment of the 250th, in the city where the nation was founded. He believes it’s a space that could remind a fractured country of the need to pull together.

“We can build an incredible project in Philadelphia,” he said.