Philadelphia’s Historic Independence Mall Re-Opens: First Phase of Landscaping Renovations Completed by BrightView

The National Park Service and BrightView Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: BV) (“BrightView”), the nation’s leading commercial landscaping services company, today announced the re-opening of Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, marking the end of the first phase of the company’s in-kind donation to Independence National Historical Park.

Independence Mall has been closed since work began on the project March 25. BrightView crews made significant improvements to the landscape, including the replacement of nearly 100,000 square feet of damaged sod, as well as irrigation repair, tree care and improvements to gardens along the Mall’s perimeter.

“Independence Mall is one of the nation’s most important historical sites and a destination for both Philadelphia residents and visitors to our city,” said Andrew Masterman, BrightView President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our company is headquartered here and it was our honor – in partnership with the National Park Service and our valued suppliers -- to help bring the landscape back to what its designers intended more than a decade ago.”

INHP Superintendent Cynthia MacLeod said, “We are sincerely grateful to BrightView for this valuable in-kind donation. This landscaping project in front of Independence Hall – a World Heritage Site and the birthplace of our nation, will enhance the visits for our millions of visitors to enjoy all of the Park and make their connections with history. Independence Mall looks beautiful, and we are thrilled it will be showcased during all of our special events and other park festivities."

BrightView acknowledges its suppliers who also made significant contributions to the project:

• National Construction Rentals
• Sunbelt Rentals
• Clearview Nursery
• Feeney’s Nursery
• Laurel Valley Soils
• Delaware Valley Paving
• Aquarius Supply
• Rain Bird Corporation
• Center City Film & Video

With Independence Mall now re-opened to visitors, BrightView will begin work on the second phase of its donation to NPS: Maintaining the Independence Mall landscape for the next year, free of charge. Later this year, team members from BrightView operations throughout the eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and northern Delaware will participate in volunteer days at INHP to ensure the landscape continues to look its best.

Photographs and video of the project, including sound bites from Andrew Masterman and Cynthia MacLeod, can be accessed here.

About Independence National Historical Park
Independence National Historical Park is one of over 400 places within the National Park Service and is often referred to as the birthplace of our nation. Millions visit the park each year to see the Liberty Bell, an international symbol of freedom, and Independence Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were debated, adopted and signed. Here are stories about the events and the lives of the diverse population during the years when Philadelphia was the capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800. It is the site of the nation's executive mansion in which Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived and where nine enslaved people served the first president. Spanning over 55 acres, the park has over 20 buildings open to the public during the summer months.