PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread II

[UrbanRevival]

Bottom line, the corporate sector of the entire region needs to do far more to help support the good of the city. The public sector is clearly in over its head at all levels of government.

It's ludicrous how many companies or potential wealthy donors there are that do so little to help philanthropically to help keep Philly's institutions afloat.

Even a couple sponsorships would absolutely go a long way.

[BroadandMarket]

It seems like the Church of Scientology (ugh) are finally doing something with their building at 13th and Chestnut and building a 3 floor building next to it. Mixed feelings about this one since I'd rather have someone who pays property taxes but it'll be nice to know the awesome Cunningham Piano building isn't rotting beyond repair.

https://www.phila.gov/media/20260821110215/1312-1316-Chestnut-St-Sign-Application.pdf

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

Drexel is not doing well but they should just cut it loose and sell it if they can't run it. I read they lost some federal funding in the Trump/DOGE cuts as well. Ultimately I just don't trust Drexel to run anything without Fry. They killed the Philadelphia History Museum and that building is rotting away. Last year when they weren't doing well, their brilliant idea was to go from 5 days a week to 3 days a week which obviously made their death spiral worse. This place cannot close, it's the oldest Natural History Museum in the country. The City, Kimmel, Comcast, Barnes, Franklin Institute etc. someone needs to step in and open this place. Their whole budget was 8.2 million in 2024 so how much could the the deficit even be?

Originally Posted by UrbanRevival

Bottom line, the corporate sector of the entire region needs to do far more to help support the good of the city. The public sector is clearly in over its head at all levels of government.

It's ludicrous how many companies or potential wealthy donors there are that do so little to help philanthropically to help keep Philly's institutions afloat.

Even a couple sponsorships would absolutely go a long way.

I posed the same question to a popular social media guy in the city, and his response was that major donors already contribute enormous amounts to Philadelphia’s cultural, educational, and medical institutions, so it’s not realistic to expect them to foot the bill for everything. I get his point.

HOWEVER, there is still an extraordinary amount of wealth in this region, and surely enough of it to help establish an modest endowment that could secure the museums future. Jeffrey Yass, for example, is worth $70B! An $8 million baseline contribution to the Academy would be nothing to him, (I know he's maga, but money is money). Then you have Comcast, Vanguard, SAP, Lincoln Financial, Wawa, Cencora, Aramark, Toll Brothers, and countless other major corporations and wealthy individuals throughout the region.

This is also an opportunity for the city and state (specifically the Mayor) to step in and lead. Audit the museum and determine what it needs, provide some level of public support, and/or serve as the facilitator for a public-private partnership that creates a sustainable future. Philadelphia is not some struggling little Appalachian town, it is one of the largest metro regions in the country, with plenty of resources and connections.

Unfortunately, I worry we’ll once again see the same ho-hum approach toward protecting and championing the city’s remarkable cultural and architectural treasures. Philadelphia has extraordinary assets, but seems reluctant to fight for them...

To pose a hypothetical: If a renowned museum in New York, Chicago, DC, or Boston lost its primary source of funding, do we think the public and private sectors would throw up their hands and let it close? I highly doubt it. Let's see that urgency in Philadelphia...

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

I posed the same question to a popular social media guy in the city, and his response was that major donors already contribute enormous amounts to Philadelphia’s cultural, educational, and medical institutions, so it’s not realistic to expect them to foot the bill for everything. I get his point.

HOWEVER, there is still an extraordinary amount of wealth in this region, and surely enough of it to help establish an modest endowment that could secure the museums future. Jeffrey Yass, for example, has spent $15+ million acquiring properties in Gladwyne for his dream village. An $8 million contribution to the Academy would be nothing to him... (I know he's maga, but money is money). Then you have Comcast, Vanguard, SAP, Lincoln Financial, Wawa, Cencora, Aramark, Toll Brothers, and countless other major corporations and wealthy individuals throughout the region.

This is also an opportunity for the city and state (specifically the Mayor) to step in and lead. Audit the museum and determine what it needs, provide some level of public support, and/or serve as the facilitator for a public-private partnership that creates a sustainable future. Philadelphia is not some struggling little Appalachian town, it is one of the largest metro regions in the country, with plenty of resources and connections.

Unfortunately, I worry we’ll once again see the same ho-hum approach toward protecting and championing the city’s remarkable cultural and architectural treasures. Philadelphia has extraordinary assets, but seems reluctant to fight for them...

To pose a hypothetical: If a renowned museum in New York, Chicago, DC, or Boston lost its primary source of funding, do we think the public and private sectors would throw up their hands and let it close? I highly doubt it. Let's see that urgency in Philadelphia...

With that budget, you'd think a wealthy benefactor could easily just buy it and donate it to the Franklin Institute to operate. We did that last time in Philly, hit up both spots. Is the academy amazing, no, but it's a great few hours with kids. and heck, it's across the street.

Last year I was at Cal Science center in LA, across the street from USC. Still the best museum I've been to, in terms of price (well, free), science layout, and every single room had docents working with kids/visitors to TEACH them about what they were seeing (like, real education, it was amazing). They were all 18-22 something age kids, so it stands to reason they were all USC students. Long story short, with all the college in/near center city, Penn should run this and get energetic students to work with visitors. Provide something the internet and AI can't replicate.

[BroadandMarket]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

Last year I was at Cal Science center in LA, across the street from USC. Still the best museum I've been to, in terms of price (well, free), science layout, and every single room had docents working with kids/visitors to TEACH them about what they were seeing (like, real education, it was amazing). They were all 18-22 something age kids, so it stands to reason they were all USC students. Long story short, with all the college in/near center city, Penn should run this and get energetic students to work with visitors. Provide something the internet and AI can't replicate.

Philly's dreadful tourism numbers hurt in this category. Philadelphia Museum of art is 37th most visited in the country behind art museums in Grand Rapids, Denver, Cleveland etc.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

Philly's dreadful tourism numbers hurt in this category. Philadelphia Museum of art is 37th most visited in the country behind art museums in Grand Rapids, Denver, Cleveland etc.

The “Rocky Steps” moniker doesn’t help either...

I know it’s sacrilege to hate on Rocky, and I get that it’s a draw for the city, but the actual museum (one of the best in the country) is overshadowed by a Hollywood fantasy. Moving the statue to the top of the steps was a mistake too. It was fine off to the side (IMO).

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

Philly's dreadful tourism numbers hurt in this category. Philadelphia Museum of art is 37th most visited in the country behind art museums in Grand Rapids, Denver, Cleveland etc.

But does that number include folks who just run up the "Rocky" steps to pose for a photo with the statue, and never go inside?

It IS shameful that the size, comprehensiveness, excellence, and uniqueness (e.g., Rodin, Barnes, PAFA, and now Calder) of Philly's art museums are so unknown and unappreciated by the national and international cultural tourism public, for which I blame the city's and region's lack of national and international promotion of those assets. And when you throw in things like the world-class array of public murals, Zagar Magic Gardens, and regional assets like the Brandywine Museum, it's just baffling that Philadelphia doesn't have a higher profile nationally and internationally as a cultural tourism destination.

EDIT: I was busy composing this post while PHLtoNYC was simultaneously expressing a similar sentiment.

[Justin7]

https://ansp.org/~/media/ANS/Sites/ANS/Files/governance/ANS-Annual-Report-FY2022-2024.pdf

[BroadandMarket]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

The “Rocky Steps” moniker doesn’t help either...

I know it’s sacrilege to hate on Rocky, and I get that it’s a draw for the city, but the actual museum (one of the best in the country) is overshadowed by a Hollywood fantasy. Moving the statue to the top of the steps was a mistake too. It was fine off to the side (IMO).

It probably doesn't help that Art Museum came up with the brilliant idea to move the entrance from the top of the steps to the side. As for Rocky, it's surely done more good than bad for the museum. I don't think any potential visitors of the art museum are going to run the steps and then not go inside.

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

it's just baffling that Philadelphia doesn't have a higher profile nationally and internationally as a cultural tourism destination.

I think a lot of it is geographical. People come and visit the Northeast and skip Philly to spend time in NYC and DC. Like someone going to Spain with enough time for Barcelona and Madrid and skipping Valencia or Seville. The museums are expensive too, that's where DC has an advantage over everyone. But like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes are the same price as the Met...The Barnes is 1.8% the size of the Met.

On a side note, I think there should be a nice shuttle bus to and from Longwood gardens from Center City. It's our Versailles but you need a car to get there.

[thoughtcriminal]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

Penn should run this and get energetic students to work with visitors. Provide something the internet and AI can't replicate.

Well Drexel already runs it, though I don't know whether they have "energetic" students work with visitors. either way, I don't think that's what would have made the difference...

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

Philly's dreadful tourism numbers hurt in this category. Philadelphia Museum of art is 37th most visited in the country behind art museums in Grand Rapids, Denver, Cleveland etc.

Philly art museum is 15th with almost 800k visitors. Grand Rapids only has like 140k. What list are you pulling from?

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

I think a lot of it is geographical. People come and visit the Northeast and skip Philly to spend time in NYC and DC. Like someone going to Spain with enough time for Barcelona and Madrid and skipping Valencia or Seville. The museums are expensive too, that's where DC has an advantage over everyone. But like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes are the same price as the Met...The Barnes is 1.8% the size of the Met.

Perhaps, and certainly the DC and NYC museums are generally at a whole other level. But I was thinking more of, e.g., Boston, Chicago, etc., and their respective art museums which, to me at least, seem to have a much higher national and international profile among the general public than those of Philly. Of course, with the exception of the Rocky steps.

[PHL10]

A 118-unit apartment tower is proposed for 23rd and Walnut Streets, replacing a Rite Aid
This is the second major apartment proposal this summer for the western side of Walnut Street in Center City.

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/hou...nt-project-patriot-parking-20260902.html



Pretty liberal use of the term "tower".

[PhilliesPhan]

PHL is set to gain a new airline and a new international destination with Volaris looking to establish a route to Guadalajara:

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2026/09/01/volaris-phl-airport-nonstop-mexico.html

[BroadandMarket]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

Philly art museum is 15th with almost 800k visitors. Grand Rapids only has like 140k. What list are you pulling from?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-visited_museums_in_the_United_States

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-visited_museums_in_the_United_States

The Grand Rapids place is a 160 acre park, botanical garden, and sculpture park. That like rolling the people on the Schuylkill River trail into the Art Museum attendance. You can make your point that the PMA should have greater attendance without cherry picking.

[PHLtoNYC]

All this and a room for shoes: Philadelphia Ballet's expanded $50 million home
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia...a-ballet-opens-center-for-dance-50m.html

[PhillyPDX]

Originally Posted by PHL10

The Grand Rapids place is a 160 acre park, botanical garden, and sculpture park. That like rolling the people on the Schuylkill River trail into the Art Museum attendance. You can make your point that the PMA should have greater attendance without cherry picking.

Yeah I was looking only at art museums.

I’d be curious if you ranked cities by total museum attendance in a concentrated 1 mile circle (I.e. easily walkable). Philly has got to be up there, art museum, Barnes, FI, natural sciences, Rodin, Calder, Mutter.

Edit, I had AI tell me. 6th nationally, close to Houston (and could gain ground further as Calder builds momentum):

DC, NY, Chicago, LA, Houston, Philly. Not a bad place to be ranked.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by PhillyPDX

Yeah I was looking only at art museums.

I’d be curious if you ranked cities by total museum attendance in a concentrated 1 mile circle (I.e. easily walkable). Philly has got to be up there, art museum, Barnes, FI, natural sciences, Rodin, Calder, Mutter.

Edit, I had AI tell me. 6th nationally, close to Houston (and could gain ground further as Calder builds momentum):

DC, NY, Chicago, LA, Houston, Philly. Not a bad place to be ranked.

Interesting--thanks for sharing that. It would also be interesting and instructive to compare that ranking with, e.g., the size and quality of the combined art collections of those cities, perhaps using some arbitrary criteria like how many artworks by some listing of universally acclaimed artists those cities possess. And maybe exclude the science museums from both rankings, since relative comparisons are harder to quantify. I suspect that using that kind of criterion, Philly might outrank all but DC and NY in terms of number of "significant" artworks, but not in terms of annual visitors to the respective cities' art museums.

Maybe something to bring up the next time you have a few beers with ChatGPT, or Claude, or whoever you like to hang with.