What The Kimmel Needs

Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center has a debt of $30 million that is plaguing its finances. Peter Dobrin suggests looking at the things that could be right with Kimmel. “I’m not so much advocating a government or philanthropic bailout as I am making the case that the Kimmel today is unfinished – as surely incomplete as it would be if the glass dome were never fully glazed. Without proper endowment and a financial structure that allows the contents of the building – the art itself – to flourish, we will never know whether our huge civic effort was worth the work. Let’s finish the Kimmel. The building is done. Now it’s time to finish building the institution.”