Most of Lemon Hill's Makeover Is Already Underfoot This Winter

"Just like we want this tree here to still stand in 50, 150, 250 years, it's going to need tending," Nissa Eisenberg, co-lead of the Lemon Hill Neighbors Association, said at the October 5 tree planting that opened the park's next round of construction, as reported by Billy Penn.

Since that ceremony, most of the coverage has focused on the playground. The roughly $7 million legacy project is the work still to come. The city had already allocated $11.8 million to preparing Lemon Hill for the FIFA Fan Festival, on electrical service, a restored gazebo, roads, sidewalks, walkways, curb ramps and signage. The bigger investment is the one already finished, and it went into the parts of the hill you walk on and look out from. This winter the park is made of finished paths and fenced play spaces, and planning a visit goes better when you know which is which.

The Hill You Can Walk Today

The Fan Festival brought more than 500,000 visitors from 190 countries and territories to Lemon Hill. When it ended, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation crews spent late July leveling and aerating the ground and sweeping the grounds for leftover debris. Here is what the city's Capital Program Office project page lists as completed:

• Lemon Hill Drive, repaved
• A new ADA asphalt walkway from Sedgley Drive up to the upper parking lot
• A repaired and regraded sidewalk along Sedgley Drive
• A rebuilt walkway between Poplar Drive and Sedgley Drive, now with added benches
• New striping, signage and crosswalks for pedestrians
• Fishpond repairs, including the coping, the historical railing and drain clearing
• The historic gazebo, restored with handrail repairs and invasive plants cleared
• Viewshed clearing that reopens the park's historic view corridor toward Center City

Much of that list is about getting up the hill and seeing out from the top. The Sedgley walkway, the Poplar-to-Sedgley connection and the cleared view corridor all point the same way: up the slope and toward the skyline. With fewer leaves on the trees in winter, the view the city cleared for the summer crowds is now there for anyone who climbs the new path on an ordinary weekday.

What the Fence Holds Until Spring

The city scheduled construction fencing for the week of September 8 and marked the official start of construction with the October 6 ceremony. According to the city, the playground is closed for the duration and most of the park stays open, though some areas will close temporarily as work moves around. For an open playground nearby, the project page points to the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Finder.

The basketball court is also offline. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the playground and basketball courts would both close during construction and that the court would serve as a staging area. Eisenberg called it "one of the most heavily used assets of the park." PhillyVoice reported that the athletic fields are closed as well.

On timing, a city spokesperson told the Inquirer the improvements should be finished "next spring," and the playground work is expected to run into April 2027. Metro Philadelphia also gave spring 2027 as the completion target. PhillyVoice gave summer 2027 for the full plan. The practical takeaway is that the play and sports spaces will be fenced for the whole winter, with the playground expected in spring and some of the other work possibly finishing later. The city says it will post monthly updates on the project page.

What Spring Adds to the Finished Half

The remaining work fills in the paths and views that are already there. The new playspace covers 43,500 square feet, including a 15,300-square-foot play area. It will have separate zones for ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12, natural elements such as stepping logs, stones and stumps, an adult fitness area and 20 newly planted trees. City officials told PhillyVoice it will replace a decades-old structure and be one of the largest playgrounds in the city.

The rest of the list:

The pavilions show how the two phases fit together. They will look out over the view corridor that was cleared before the Fan Festival, and the 53 light poles will line the walkways that were rebuilt then. The finished half of the project set up the layout, and the spring work adds places to sit and lights to see by.

The funding is shared. Philadelphia Soccer 2026 and the William Penn Foundation are contributing $4 million, and the city is covering the rest. Billy Penn reported that the playspace and other renovations were in the city's plans years before Lemon Hill was chosen for the Fan Festival in June 2024, but they had not been funded until the festival came.

What the Plan Leaves to the Neighbors

In March, the Lemon Hill Neighbors Association published a survey of nearly 450 respondents. Most asked the city to pay for traffic calming, restored bathrooms and long-term maintenance, and respondents also ranked a working water fountain, trash cans and benches as top priorities. PhillyVoice reported that the legacy project does not include those items. The Inquirer reported the city's position that permanent bathrooms and water fountains depend on having a park staffer on site, because of maintenance and vandalism concerns.

One Fairmount resident who has used the park almost daily for years told PhillyVoice that speeding through the park is a major concern and that speed bumps and better lighting could help. The new lighting answers part of that request.

So until spring, much of the park's day-to-day care continues to come from volunteers. Billy Penn reported that association members were out working in the park in the weeks after Fan Fest and two days before the October ceremony. Their volunteer schedule for work outside the mansion fence is posted on the Lemon Hill Neighbors Association Instagram.

Inside the Mansion Fence This Season

Inside its own gate, Lemon Hill Mansion runs on a separate schedule. The three-story house was built in 1800 and now operates as a museum. Park Charms lists it as managed by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Its season runs April through December.

The mansion's stewards are also holding a fall planting and grounds cleanup. The GivePulse registration page lists it for Sunday, November 15, from 1 to 4 p.m. Tools and gloves are provided, and lemonade, cookies and house tours are offered on the porch through the afternoon. The yellow gates on Lemon Hill Drive will be closed, so volunteers are asked to park at the bottom of the hill or on Sedgley or Poplar Drive and walk up on the new ADA sidewalks. Bathrooms are open inside the mansion during the event.

In December, the mansion is decorated for the annual holiday tours of the East Fairmount Park houses. Lemon Hill is one of five houses taking part, and the dates fall on its usual Thursday-to-Sunday rhythm. Park Charms lists the 2026 schedule:

Tours run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the last tour starts at 3:30 p.m., space permitting. General admission is $8, students and seniors pay $5, and children 12 and under are free. Woodford is offering free first-floor tours this season. Most houses accept cash, card or PayPal at the door, but Lemon Hill Mansion is cash only.

A December visit to Lemon Hill can now start at the bottom of the hill, go up the new Sedgley walkway past the restored gazebo, and end at a decorated front door, all on ground the Fan Festival rebuilt. For something to eat after the walk, Brewerytown Bakery is back open under new ownership at 2949 W. Girard Ave. It is fully vegan and open Wednesday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

If you own a home within walking distance of Lemon Hill and want to understand how the park's spring 2027 reopening affects your property, Douglas Pearson offers a private valuation and consultation, handled with the discretion and owner-level attention every client receives.