Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton
The frustrating part about knocking them down is AFAIK there's no real plan yet for the parcels. It's basically "let us knock everything down and consolidate, and we'll see what we can do."
If there was say a proposal for a 13-story residential highrise or something, i think you could argue the trade is worthwhile on the merits. But given for all we know we'll just get a three-story Point Park University building, or maybe a vacant lot for the next 15 years, there's no way this should go forward.
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I seem to remember the owner(s) of these parcels stating they had someone who wanted to use the land to erect a "signature tower" on the site. I seem to remember reading that in previous newspaper articles some months back. That's all well and good if that's the case. That said, why not preserve the facades at the very least (The St. James in Philly comes to mind here; I've actually driven/walked by this building a few times and thought it's neat how they incorporated the 1700s facade into this 21st century residential highrise). I think Lancaster did something similar when they built the Marriott Hotel and convention center - using the historic department store and I think a few other buildings and incorporating them into the hotel and convention center.
But... I do see your other point. The city would be irresponsible to grant demolition of this building if it means the land will sit vacant or if it will give way to a less-than-ideal use. The Point Park Playhouse is a good example of that!