PHILADELPHIA | Bridgeman's View Tower | 915 FT / 279 M | 66 FLOORS | NEVER BUILT

[BigDan35]

^^ That's too bad. I really like the look of BVT, plus, who can argue with 915 feet.

[kraggman]

Would it be safe to assume that these waterfront projects will "feed" off each other ??? Kind of a snowball effect ???

[bucks native]

Originally Posted by kraggman

Would it be safe to assume that these waterfront projects will "feed" off each other ??? Kind of a snowball effect ???

Depends on the market and the economy - and with the market dropping nearly 300 points AFTER today's rate cut, a LOT of people are worried/cautious. Credit is very tight right now. Lots of talk of a recession here - but Iraq should be ok.

[christof]

Any news on this project?

[Don098]

This proposal is hanging around like a stale fart. Dead or alive?

[kraggman]

What they said.

[weatherguru18]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

This will put Philly in a league with only New York and Chicago for having three 900+ footers. Go Philly!


New York - 3 existing, 1 approved
Chicago - 2 existing, 1 approved
Houston - 2 existing
Philadelphia - 1 existing, 1 under construction, 1 proposed
Seattle - 1 existing
Dallas - 1 existing

Houston has 3 900+ towers existing...Chase (1,002'), Wells Fargo (972') and Williams (901'). Also, Dubai is looking at a possibe tower at the corner of Post Oak is it? It is said to be a super tall...we'll see.

[KillerIman]

Originally Posted by weatherguru18

Houston has 3 900+ towers existing...Chase (1,002'), Wells Fargo (972') and Williams (901'). Also, Dubai is looking at a possibe tower at the corner of Post Oak is it? It is said to be a super tall...we'll see.

i agree , philly's a lot of hot air. even if a couple of 900+ footers are build, it's child's play globally.

[TheOldMan]

Originally Posted by KillerIman

i agree , philly's a lot of hot air. even if a couple of 900+ footers are build, it's child's play globally.

how exactly is Philly alot of "hot air" ?? You are going to have to clarify that one.

If built, Bridgemans View would bring Philly's total 900+ footer to three, figure 4 if ACC is built. Houston had a supertall proposal in the early 80's that never happened. I guess by your measure that makes Houston hot air too ? Many people would take issue with that.

if you use that standard, then i guess chicago and new york are only average, since they only have three or four supertalls compared to Dubai's 50+..... A great city is more than just supertall buildings. yes they do help, a great deal in some cases are but not everything.

maybe BVT gets built and maybe it doesn't. maybe ACC gets built, maybe it doesnt. Philadelphia is a great city without it and would be a great city with it. but you stay in Philly half the time so i guess you already know that right ?

[slow-v6]

Originally Posted by TheOldMan

how exactly is Philly alot of "hot air" ?? You are going to have to clarify that one.

If built, Bridgemans View would bring Philly's total 900+ footer to three, figure 4 if ACC is built. Houston had a supertall proposal in the early 80's that never happened. I guess by your measure that makes Houston hot air too ? Many people would take issue with that.

if you use that standard, then i guess chicago and new york are only average, since they only have three or four supertalls compared to Dubai's 50+..... A great city is more than just supertall buildings. yes they do help, a great deal in some cases are but not everything.

maybe BVT gets built and maybe it doesn't. maybe ACC gets built, maybe it doesnt. Philadelphia is a great city without it and would be a great city with it. but you stay in Philly half the time so i guess you already know that right ?

I agree with you 100%

[skyscraper]

Originally Posted by KillerIman

i agree , philly's a lot of hot air. even if a couple of 900+ footers are build, it's child's play globally.

what do you mean it's child's play globally? if it's child's play, why doesn't every city have 100 of them?
I notice that many of the detractors of this building are from new york. hear the footsteps behind you?

[donybrx]

Originally Posted by KillerIman

i agree , philly's a lot of hot air. even if a couple of 900+ footers are build, it's child's play globally.

a non-issue tailor made for the childish.....and the killjoys.....

[twicedead]

Originally Posted by donybrx

a non-issue tailor made for the childish.....and the killjoys.....

It makes sense to have supertalls in Houston to rise above the smog. I haven't been there in a few years but that's what I remember most about being there. I'd like to be as high as possible to avoid it.

[weatherguru18]

Originally Posted by twicedead

It makes sense to have supertalls in Houston to rise above the smog. I haven't been there in a few years but that's what I remember most about being there. I'd like to be as high as possible to avoid it.

Yeah, Houston has 1 supertall...it's Chase Tower at 1,002 ft. If I'm not mistaken, any building over 1,000 ft is considered "supertall." As stated in an earlier post of mine, a company from Dubai is planning to build a tower of at least 80 stories in uptown. According to an article in the Houston Business Journal, the building is said to be "very tall."

Hey, I'm happy for Philly. It's a great city. I've been there a couple of times and it is definitely more scenic than Houston...but I like Houston too. From what I've heard, the statue of Franklin on top of the (City Hall?) downtown was supposed to be the tallest point in the city and if it were ever surpassed, it would be bad luck. So to counter that, they put a small statue on the top of Comcast Center. If Comcast is surpassed, then they'll have to move it again. That should bring some major luck being it would be taller than most buildings on the entire east coast.

[Don098]

I swear to God, I'm tired of this argumentative bulls*** about what city is better on these forums. Sure, these cheap shots are deflating and I understand that hot air has to go somewhere (I've been guilty of this myself), but this has to stop. It's trite. It's foolish. It's divisively counterproductive, and it's not solving a damn thing. It's only making us more angry when this is a forum about growth, development, and foresight. Can we agree to a pact of holding our tongues, not taking the bait, and staying on topic? Let's at least make that a goal, it's definitely mine... (Even though it's some good bait... cheesesteaks of bait, for sure).

<Sigh>

So back to my original question which now seems to have been swallowed-up over the weekend...does anyone know the principle reasons stalling this project? I'm sure the economy has something to do with it, but are there any other issues about which people are aware?

[TheOldMan]

Originally Posted by Don098

I swear to God, I'm tired of this argumentative bulls*** about what city is better on these forums. Sure, these cheap shots are deflating and I understand that hot air has to go somewhere (I've been guilty of this myself), but this has to stop. It's trite. It's foolish. It's divisively counterproductive, and it's not solving a damn thing. It's only making us more angry when this is a forum about growth, development, and foresight. Can we agree to a pact of holding our tongues, not taking the bait, and staying on topic? Let's at least make that a goal, it's definitely mine... (Even though it's some good bait... cheesesteaks of bait, for sure).

<Sigh>

So back to my original question which now seems to have been swallowed-up over the weekend...does anyone know the principle reasons stalling this project? I'm sure the economy has something to do with it, but are there any other issues about which people are aware?

Don , to answer your original question, i believe the stall may be related to financing. The approvals are in place, however since BVT has a sizable residental component that requires a percentage of presales to get off the ground it cannot begin to rise until those benchmarks are met. That is my guess at this point based on current economic conditions, rising costs of construction, and of course, the real estate downturn. Perhaps someone closer to the project or with more inside knowledge can answer the question with authority.

As far as statements made on the forum, we all try to avoid being drawn into arguments about the petty, however, sometimes people need to be called upon to expain themselves when certain statements are made. To not address those kinds of statements is tantamount to agreeing with them, at least in my opinion. I truely enjoy this forum (i post here more than anywhere else. Reading others commentary and opinions helps expand and broaden my own opinions and expand my knowledge. however when unsavory statements are made about the city where I was born and raised, I simply felt compelled to respond.....

[kraggman]

I agree. Nothing is more frustrating than checking your fav thread for an update and find "my city's better than your city" going on. Plus, you have to filter through all the crap to get to the meat. I'd prefer to keep things on topic. JMHO

[UCityGardener]

Hey Weatherguru, the statue on City Hall is William Penn - the city's founder and founder of Pennsylvania. Ben Franklin played a huge role in philly and the founding of the U.S., but he doesn't adorn City Hall.

Penn wanted to call the colony Sylvania, which means forest land in Latin because the new colony was covered in dense hardwood forests. However, the crown thought it should be named after Penn so they named it Pennsylvania.

As far as BVT, I'd love to see it built, but in the current climate, I think this project is years away from starting.

[weatherguru18]

Originally Posted by UCityGardener

Hey Weatherguru, the statue on City Hall is William Penn - the city's founder and founder of Pennsylvania. Ben Franklin played a huge role in philly and the founding of the U.S., but he doesn't adorn City Hall.

Penn wanted to call the colony Sylvania, which means forest land in Latin because the new colony was covered in dense hardwood forests. However, the crown thought it should be named after Penn so they named it Pennsylvania.

As far as BVT, I'd love to see it built, but in the current climate, I think this project is years away from starting.

Hmmm, who knew. As many times as I've been there, I could have sworn it was Franklin. Better get my facts right shouldn't I?

[saltwaterking]

Add 100 pounds, glasses, and remove the signature hat and you might get Ben Franklin.