Parx Casino at Philadelphia Park
Bensalem, Pennsylvania

OWNER: Greenwood Gaming
PRINCIPAL ARCHITECT: Friedmutter Group
OTHER DESIGNERS: Lifescapes Int’l., John Levy Lighting Production
CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR: TN Ward
PROJECT: $250 million

Unveiled last December, the Parx Casino at Philadelphia Park is unique among Pennsylvania racetrack casinos. It is the only one, for instance, that is a building apart from the actual racetrack. Where other racinos incorporate the tracks and the racing vibe as part of the design, Parx stands alone as a contemporary casino that could be located anywhere.

The Friedmutter Group conceived the design to feature “contemporary European style and grace within a Western casino atmosphere,” according to Brad Friedmutter, founder and CEO of the company, which handled the master plan, architecture, design architecture and interior design for the project.

“The vision for Parx was to create a very contemporary exterior utilizing Mondrian panels connecting to a warm and traditional interior environment,” Friedmutter says. “This blending of style and tradition with contemporary application was achieved by using glass and metal materials on the exterior combined with beautiful stones and finishes from around the world.”

Those panels greet the customer with a shout, thanks to three massive LED screens—two 49 feet wide and almost 29 feet tall, flanking a center display measuring 61 feet by 34.6 feet. Inside, the atmosphere is warm and comfortable on a 120,000-square-foot gaming floor, ringed by five food and beverage outlets in an overall facility that measures 260,000 square feet.

The design is replete with high-end accents like imported marble from Pakistan, exquisite wood finishes, sparkling chandeliers and huge glass artworks—clusters of glass “flames” forming unique lighting effects. The center of the casino is a huge, oval area ringed by elegant chandeliers (each reportedly cost $1 million by itself) to draw the eye into the casino’s table game pit.

Details such as this give the visitor the impression of a top-quality mega-resort design, accomplished on a comparatively modest budget. Friedmutter’s favorite part of the design? “The exterior contemporary entry/porte-cochere is particularly beautiful and compelling,” he says, “with the two opposite art-glass enclosed, feature Sonic walls that include custom art displays and color-changing lighting.”