Heard in the Hall

Robin Hood Dell

Efforts to rename Robin Hood Dell progress. The concert facility might get covered seating, too.

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Robin Hood Dell

POSTED: Monday, March 5, 2012, 5:19 PM

Miriam Hill

Robin Hood Dell appears headed for a name change, but not until 2015. Philadelphia City Council's Parks & Recreation Committee on Monday approved a proposal to rename the concert venue the Georgie Woods Entertainment Center, in honor of the civil-rights advocate and radio DJ who brought acts such as Michael Jackson to Philadelphia.

The legislation still requires a vote from the full Council, and the new moniker won't go into place for three more years because of a Parks & Recreation Department policy requiring that people be dead for at least 10 years before a facility can be named for them. Woods died in 2005.

The land where the concert facility sits will keep the name Robin Hood Dell in honor of the Hood family, which once ran a tavern on the site and donated the property to the city. Descendants of the Hoods worked with Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. to compromise on the new name. Jones said he would commit $400,000 from his capital budget to kick off an effort to raise $10 million for a roof to cover seats at the Dell. That would help the city avoid cancellations caused by rain. Council members Kenyatta Jones and Cindy Bass promised $25,000 each to the cause.

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Comments (1)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:41 AM, 03/06/2012

You have got to be kidding me. He wants to raise $10 million for a roof for a venue that never sells out and loses money? We're cutting firefighters and police but offering nostalgia shows and second-rate R&B is some kind of vital public service?

— bullrun