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Originally Posted by buckley81
Hi All. I've been following this site for quite some time and am finally getting around to my first post. There are so many great projects which have come on the boards recently on which to comment but I'll save my first for the big one.
While it's understandable that so much conversation centers on how our new tallest will change the skyline, I'm surprised that there has been no discussion about how this building meets the street. Not much is detailed on the renderings aside from the grand entrance on 18th street. What I keep thinking is that there is not really a major street for this building to have a presence on. This leads me to believe that the Sterling Apartments on JFK between 18th and 19th have got to go. A building of this caliber deserves a grand public plaza. I know that it is probably not financially feasible but it just doesn't look right to have the "vertical campus" of the worlds largest cable company tucked behind a dumpy looking 1960s apartment building.
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Welcome. I too am interested in how it meets the street, but unfortunately, I couldn't disagree with you more regarding a public plaza. Philly has enough of these and I really dislike the setback from the street and the wasted space. I MUCH prefer a building with an entrance right on the sidewalk + retail (or some other street level activity). The link posted by Hammer above is a great example. And most of Philly's older office buildings, too.
It's not as if Philly's existing plazas are overpopulated. Even with the add'l employees, another plaza will cannibalize from the nearby spaces in Comcast I, the Verizon Building, and Love Park.