The ceremony welcomed Temple’s leaders, staff, faculty, students and neighbors, as well as construction workers, to celebrate the completion of the structural framework of the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication. The pavilion will be the new home of Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication and the Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts starting in fall 2027.
A beam topping ceremony was recently held at the construction site of the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication to celebrate the completion of the building’s structural framework.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
Marking a major milestone in the construction of the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion for Arts and Communication, university leaders, faculty, staff, students, city officials, construction workers and neighbors gathered for a beam topping ceremony at the building’s site on the west side of North Broad Street on May 14.
The event celebrated the completion of the building’s structural framework and invited all in attendance to sign the beam before it was secured to the building’s frame. It was an opportunity to herald in the new building, which will serve as the future home of Klein College of Media and Communication; the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts; and the Boyer College of Music and Dance.
Made possible by a $27.5 million gift from Sidney and Caroline Kimmel, one of the largest philanthropic gifts in Temple’s history, the building will advance arts and culture at Temple and strengthen Philadelphia’s reputation as a world-class city for the arts. The building is set to open in fall 2027.
During the ceremony, President John Fry and other dignitaries spoke about the significance of the building. Fry affirmed the ways in which the Kimmel Pavilion dovetails with the priorities outlined in the university’s recently launched strategic plan.
“Just recently, we launched our new strategic plan called Forward with Purpose,” said Fry. “There is perhaps no better example of the work we seek to accomplish through that plan than the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion, as it is closely tied to all three of the plan’s priorities: Student Success, Research in Action and Place-based Impact.”
The pavilion, designed by the internationally recognized architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), will feature state-of-the-art classrooms, performance venues, production studios and practice spaces, as well as public areas meant to foster community engagement, education and entertainment. The building will extend Philadelphia's famous Avenue of the Arts further north on Broad Street, placing the pavilion among the city’s world-renowned cultural institutions including The Met, the Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music.
“This topping out marks an important step in realizing the Caroline Kimmel Pavilion as a new center for media and performance at Temple University,” said Colin Koop, design partner at SOM. “The building’s transparent studios, dynamic facade and welcoming public spaces are designed to showcase creative production, extend campus activity toward the city and create new opportunities for collaboration across disciplines.”
Additional speakers included David Boardman, interim provost and dean of Klein; Robert Stroker, dean and vice provost for the arts for the School of Theater, Film and Media Arts and Boyer; Jerry Leva, vice president of planning and capital projects at Temple; Tiffany Thurman, CLA ’06, chief of staff for the Office of the Mayor of Philadelphia; Malcolm Kenyatta, KLN ’12, Pennsylvania state representative; Reggie McNeil, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services; and Ryan N. Boyer, business manager for the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council. Throughout the ceremony, speakers praised Temple’s commitment to investing in the North Philadelphia community and thanked the construction crews for their skill and dedication in bringing the project to life.
Boardman emphasized the transformative impact the building will have on both Temple and Philadelphia.
“This building will be a jewel on North Broad Street, extending the Avenue of the Arts from the Kimmel Center to the Kimmel Pavilion, and will partner with North Philadelphia in new and meaningful ways,” said Boardman. “Temple will have the best facility of its kind in the nation.”
Stroker highlighted the ways the pavilion will prepare students for success in a rapidly evolving job market.
“We are creating new bridges between the academic world and the professional world, allowing our students to be successful on day one when they start working in Hollywood, on Broadway, at the Metropolitan Opera, at the Philadelphia Orchestra,” said Stroker. “We have graduates in all of those, but now we are going to make it possible to achieve even a higher level of student success.”
The ceremony concluded with attendees gathering to witness the signed steel beam being hoisted in the air by a crane, marking a key step toward a future incubator for creativity, collaboration and community at Temple.
Stroker’s words from his remarks resounded: “It’s often said that art serves as the signature of civilizations. And there is no question that not only will the Kimmel Pavilion serve as a strong, bright and bold signature in the arts, but it’s also going to show the world what it means to be Temple Made.”