Help Honor Pierre Robert with a Rittenhouse Park Bench Dedication

Friends, family and members of the Philadelphia community are coming together to celebrate and honor the life of Pierre Robert, the beloved and charismatic longtime host on WMMR, whose voice inspired generations of listeners during his remarkable 44-year career. In partnership with Friends of Rittenhouse Square, those who cherished him are working to establish a memorial bench in Rittenhouse Square in Pierre’s honor. 

Friends of Rittenhouse Square are the nonprofit stewards for this space, and are the City’s partner for beautification and maintenance. They handle all the trash management, landscaping, and new capital improvement projects to ensure the Square remains relevant and beautiful for future generations. 

The tribute will provide a quiet place for visitors to pause, sit and enjoy the simple moments Pierre treasured most. We're asking those who have ever been affected by Pierre's message to donate what they can for the bench. Contributions toward the memorial will directly support the care and preservation of Rittenhouse Square, helping ensure that this treasured park continues to inspire the ten thousand daily visitors. 

Rittenhouse Square was created by William Penn to be one of Center City’s original public parks (alongside Washington, Franklin, Logan & Dilworth).Few places in Philadelphia meant more to Pierre Robert than Rittenhouse Square. The historic square was where he often read, reflected, people-watched, and found a sense of calm amid the rhythm of the city he loved.

Just days before his passing, Pierre spent a quiet Sunday afternoon sitting on a bench in the park and shared a moment of reflection on social media:
“Sunday afternoon in Philly in my beloved Rittenhouse Square, with a great book, a cup of La Colombe, watching the world lazily drift by… pretty close to perfection.”

It was also the place where his career at WMMR began. The station’s studio once sat at 19th and Walnut Streets, overlooking the square. During his midday show, Pierre could often be seen perched on the studio windowsill on the third floor, looking out over Rittenhouse Square as he broadcast to listeners across the region.

Rittenhouse Square is filled with world-class sculptures and architectural features, including Albert Laessle’s Billy (beloved by children to the point of replacement), Paul Manship’s Duck Girl (he was the sculptor of the Prometheus sculpture in Rockefeller Center), and they’re all sized and placed so that children and adults can enjoy them. 

The Friends carry on this mission. Founded in 1976 with a mission to “preserve, protect and beautify Rittenhouse Square,” we are celebrating our 50th anniversary of extraordinary transformative change. 

The Friends replaced all the benches in 2022, added hanging baskets and started restoring our lawns in 2023. Today, it’s in an extraordinary place to continue to preserve and maintain the Square for future years.

Now, the community has the opportunity to create a lasting tribute to this extraordinary Philadelphia voice. For more than four decades, Pierre’s presence on the airwaves became part of the city’s daily rhythm. His warmth, musical knowledge and unmistakable enthusiasm helped shape WMMR’s identity and fostered a deep connection among Philadelphia’s vibrant rock community.