“We are thrilled to announce this major investment from the Wyncote Foundation to support and expand the revolutionary access to art in Philadelphia we prioritize,” Costanzo said. “This generous gift will breathe life into the space and the organ in new ways. We aim to remind Philadelphians that the Wanamaker Building belongs to them and make it the place to be. While there will be plenty of opera singing, we are having collaborative conversations with many amazing artists and organizations in our community, and developing ideas that will make the Wanamaker come alive with dance, theater, cabaret, and visual art”

“We are excited to partner with Opera Philadelphia to activate this iconic space, to bring it to life, to fill it with art, culture and music, to showcase the organ, and keep the Grand Court in the Wanamaker building  connected to the city and people of Philadelphia,” said Jon McMillan, Senior Vice President and Director of Planning for TFC.

Programming will begin with a kickoff concert, titled Meet Me at the Eagle, on Sunday, September 7, at 1:00 p.m. (yes, the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are off that day). The sculptor August Gaul’s 2500-pound bronze Eagle was a longtime symbol of the John Wanamaker department store, with Philadelphians frequently saying “meet me at the eagle” to rendezvous with friends. In addition to artists from Opera Philadelphia’s orchestra, chorus, and special guest singers, the afternoon will feature collaborations with BalletX, The Bearded Ladies Cabaret, and FringeArts.

Grammy-nominated Haitian American artist Nathalie Joachim, Opera Philadelphia’s recently announced Composer in Residence for the 2025-2026 Season, will also curate a Wanamaker concert — an exclusive performance highlighting her own compositions, as well as works and artists that inspire her. A series of organ concerts, vocal recitals, art installations, cabarets, and Halloween and Christmas programs are among the plans Opera Philadelphia is pursuing with artistic partners, with opera superstar Lawrence Brownlee committed to starring in a recital. Costanzo said Opera Philadelphia is working with his incubator SCENE to program the space, and is actively seeking partners who “want to show off our city and its incredible talent in this unique space,” and encouraged interested parties to reach out with ideas via email at scene@andscene.org.

At the center of musical programming will be the historic Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, designed by George Ashdown Audsley and built for the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. It languished in storage until 1909, when Wanamaker acquired it for his store. Thirteen freight cars were required to ship the entire organ from St. Louis, and installation took two years. The organ was first heard in the building on June 22, 1911. The original instrument, the largest in the world and designed to be the equal of a full orchestra, had 10,059 pipes, and the colossus was enlarged to meet the ambitions of Wanamaker’s daily concerts, bringing the total to 28,750—still the largest fully functioning pipe organ in the world.

“We are thrilled that Opera Philadelphia is leading so many civic artists and cultural organizations in celebrating the Wanamaker Organ---once again immersing the Grand Court in fine music,” said Ray Biswanger, Executive Director of the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ. “That's just the sort of pageantry Founder John Wanamaker envisioned more than a century ago when he installed the Organ in the very heart of his store.”

Opera Philadelphia is no stranger to bringing artists together around the historic organ. On October 30, 2020, the company gathered over 650 choristers from 28 participating organizations to perform one of the Knight Foundation's “Random Acts of Culture” at the department store. Accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ, the Opera Philadelphia Chorus and throngs of singers from the community infiltrated the store as shoppers, and burst into a pop-up rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah at noon, to the delight of surprised shoppers and nearly 10 million viewers.

TFC’s plans for the Wanamaker include creating 600 loft-style apartments in addition to improving and preserving a majority of the office and retail. This includes the Grand Court, which will remain a public space.

TFC continues to emphasize its commitment to preserving the Wanamaker Building’s historical integrity and cultural character. As part of today’s announcement, the company and the Philadelphia Visitor Center also announced the official return of two of Philadelphia’s most cherished holiday traditions at Wanamaker—the Wanamaker Light Show and Dickens Village—this Christmas season.

One of Costanzo’s goals is for Wanamaker programs to utilize Opera Philadelphia’s popular Pick Your Price ticketing, in which tickets for all operas in the season are $11 or a higher price of your choosing, reaffirming Opera Philadelphia's commitment to making art a civic right. Additional Pipe Up! programming and details on ticketing will be announced soon.