Restoring an Iconic Sculpture

Our goal is to relight this iconic Parkway sculpture in 2026, helping to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the centennial of artist Stephen Antonakos’s birth.

With the approval and assistance of the Antonakos family and estate, the restoration will convert to energy-efficient LED lighting the 111-foot main neon section of the sculpture, facing The Parkway, as well as its shorter side, facing East.

With the help of Director of Preservation Alliance Paul Steinke, the ReLight the Sky Committee engaged the internationally known Lighting Design Collaborative (LDC). In consultation with the Antonakos estate—and using the artist’s original drawings—LDC recommended the precise LED technology needed to replicate the sculpture’s dimensions and colors, reduce it’s maintenance significantly, and prolong its life.

It’s time to bring this acclaimed sculpture back to life.

Original drawing with specifications for Neons for Buttonwood by Stephen Antonakos.

We will all be very happy when this sculpture, so important in Antonakos’s history of public work, will be seen again in Philadelphia—from near, from afar, day and night.” - Naomi Antonakos

To make a tax-deductible contribution:

Mail a check payable to “Parkway Council Foundation/CityLights” & mail to:
Parkway Council c/o Friends Select School
1651 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19103