Light Pole Revitalization in Broad Street Philadelphia

Interactive Light Sculpture

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Light Pole Revitalization in Broad Street Philadelphia

We are extremely excited to show you the final results of a 17 month project that turned Broad Street, in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, into an iconic landmark. This project is the result of a 10 year community revitalization project that finally fixed, what one newspaper headline described as, “How a North Broad Street community is trying to fix the $14 million pole problem”

There are 41 of these 55’ tall poles that stretch over 2.5 miles. Each pole is striped on 4 sides with (5) 6’ pieces of GLLS Vivid S 270 RGB Neon Flex tubing. We configured the DMX Master Controller to transmit the DMX signal from pole to pole over 2.5 miles, using wirless DMX transmitters and receivers.

By connecting the DMX Master Controller to a dedicated wifi router, we created a wifi hotspot at the pole to enable cellular control using an android or i-phone app. The entire project can be managed from the base of one pole by anyone with the cell phone app and password.

The project was awarded to Forman Signs, Philadelphia, PA,, who, after much collaboration and brainstorming, determined that Martin Supply was the best partner for the job.

Here is an article about the history of these poles.

Written by: Victor Lebow
Executive Vice President – Martin Supply Company

North Pole Facts

There are 41 “North Poles” that serve as public art and that light up the Broad Street median from Hamilton Street to Glenwood Avenue.
In the same year, the North Poles were awarded Project of the Year by Mid-Atlantic chapter of the Construction Management Association of America.
Each pole has 5 sets of the LED, totaling 20 lights per pole, and 800 lights in total for the project
As a result, the North Poles can produce any color imaginable and the animation programs include fading from one color into the next, as well as blinking/flashing. In addition, the North Poles are capable of using programs that use up to 10 colors in a given sequence.