On Wednesday, May 14, the Temple University community came together to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication, a 199,000-square-foot building that will advance arts and culture at Temple and further the creative legacy of Philadelphia.

“This groundbreaking marks more than the start of construction—it symbolizes the commitment to a spirit of progress that brings all of us together today. The Caroline Kimmel Pavillion for the Arts and Communication will be a creative and collaborative space that will serve all members of the Temple community: students, faculty, staff, alumni and neighbors,” said Temple President John Fry at the construction site. 

Scheduled to open at the start of the fall 2027 semester, the new facility will serve as teaching spaces for Klein College of Media and Communication; the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts; and the Boyer College of Music and Dance. With a prime location on the west side of Broad Street directly across from the entrance to Polett Walk, the Kimmel Pavilion will also serve as a community hub for activity, education and entertainment. It has been supported by a generous gift of $27.5 million, the largest in Temple’s history, from Sidney and Caroline Kimmel. 

 

Designed by international architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the new facility will feature performance spaces, screening rooms, a soundstage, state-of-the-art production studios, practice spaces, prop and costume storage, meeting spaces and classrooms. The building will also house The Temple News, Temple TV, WHIP Radio and student advertising and public relations agencies. 

At a groundbreaking celebration inside Mitten Hall, Temple leadership and local dignitaries delivered remarks on the significance of the building and the myriad ways it will benefit both the university and the city of Philadelphia. Speakers included President Fry; Mitchell Morgan, FOX ’76, LAW ’80, HON ’25, chair of Temple University’s Board of Trustees; Debora Carrera, EDU ’94, chief education officer for the City of Philadelphia; Jeffery Young Jr., CLA ’08, Philadelphia City Council member and representative, District Five; Gennaro Leva, vice president of planning and capital projects at Temple; Robert Stroker, dean and vice provost for the arts for the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts and Boyer College of Music and Dance; and David Boardman, dean of the Klein College of Media and Communication.

“I’m so excited about the opportunities this space will have for students in media, communications and the performing arts,” said Morgan. “Temple will be able to engage with the community in ways we never thought possible. This is a building that will be full of energy and excitement and the location on Broad Street really lends itself to exciting opportunities.”  
Speakers emphasized that the more than 500 performances per year hosted by Temple will now have more space to thrive, becoming even more accessible to the community. The new structure will extend Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts further north on Broad Street and strengthen Temple’s connections with the city’s prolific cultural institutions such as The Met, the Kimmel Center, the Academy of Music and the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. 

“This facility is accessible to the community, right on North Broad Street. Everyone knows how to get here, everyone knows where Temple is,” said Young.  

“I want to give a special thank you to Sidney and Caroline Kimmel for giving North Philly our own Kimmel Center.”