PHILADELPHIA | THE LAUREL @ 1911 Walnut | 604 FT | 48 FLOORS

[1487]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

You jest. But you can never have enough Wendy's and parking in a top tier downtown.

Exactly. No other first rate downtown has chain fast food places. It's a point you've successfully driven home. I thought I saw a Burger King near Penn Station in NYC, but its probably a Gucci store by now. Haven't been up there in a few years.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

And we have ZERO drive-thrus. Compared to a city like Dallas, I'm so ashamed.

I realize this should go in the Penn's Landing thread, but speaking of Wendy's, look at the rendering for the new waterfront redevelopment proposal:


http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/features/food/restaurants/blog/Philadelphia_Event_010.jpg

It may include a Wendy's themed skytram to LPTs new Camden development too. Dallas, here we come.

Other than the bike, I am thrilled with this. You need something for everybody downtown.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by 1487

Thats different. Wendy's is always relevant. Surely you agree.

Indeed.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by 1487

Exactly. No other first rate downtown has chain fast food places. It's a point you've successfully driven home. I thought I saw a Burger King near Penn Station in NYC, but its probably a Gucci store by now. Haven't been up there in a few years.

Anyone can get Gucci loafers in any downtown, but where does one go to get a Frosty? CroBurnham's Penn's Landing rendering is much needed.

[Justin7]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

It was a classic "slippery slope" argument. I actually happen to agree with the premise that we can't just cast aside historically certified properties when new, tall and shiny projects are dangled before our eyes, or that we'll soon find ourselves on the slow road to blandness. But the Dallas hyperbole didn't strike a nerve as much as our funny bones, and thus took on a life of its own.

There was no hyperbole. I didn't say this would turn Philadelphia into Dallas. I said that is the direction we are heading in if continue to allow this kind of thing to happen (which you basically seem to agree with, no?).

Ooh, shiny tall building render. Let's tear down the historic fabric of the city!

The latest article just further proves my point. This company is concerned only with profit and obviously does not care about the city of Philadelphia. Which is fine. They're a southern business. It's just sad to see so many people on this forum buying into it. I only hope the review board is more discerning.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by Justin7

There was no hyperbole. I didn't say this would turn Philadelphia into Dallas. I said that is the direction we are heading in if continue to allow this kind of thing to happen.

Ooh, shiny tall building render. Let's tear down the historic fabric of the city!

The latest article just further proves my point. This company is concerned only with profit and obviously does not care about the city of Philadelphia. Which is fine. They're a southern business. It's just sad to see so many people on this forum buying into it. I only hope the review board is more discerning.

Philly becoming Dallas is truly hyperbole. However, your point that this could be a slippery slope is perfectly valid.

[Arch+Eng]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

I realize this should go in the Penn's Landing thread, but speaking of Wendy's, look at the rendering for the new waterfront redevelopment proposal:


http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/features/food/restaurants/blog/Philadelphia_Event_010.jpg

It may include a Wendy's themed skytram to LPTs new Camden development too. Dallas, here we come.

Other than the bike, I am thrilled with this. You need something for everybody downtown.

this is hilarious

[Austinlee]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

Can you imagine if they put a 600' long Wendy's on the block that ran diagonal from one corner to the opposite? That's alot of Baconators.

Now we're talking. It's nice to finally hear some innovative ideas.

[MikeNigh]

Instead of making the avenir they should have renovated it into the new wendy's hq and bombed out the other establishments under the building into caves so all the homeless, drug addicts, drug dealers and otherwise wendy's patrons could live there.

[Human Scale]

Originally Posted by 1487

Exactly. No other first rate downtown has chain fast food places. It's a point you've successfully driven home. I thought I saw a Burger King near Penn Station in NYC, but its probably a Gucci store by now. Haven't been up there in a few years.

Whaaaaaa!? Manhattan has dozens of McDonalds, Taco Bell, Dunkin Donuts..

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by 1487

Exactly. No other first rate downtown has chain fast food places. It's a point you've successfully driven home. I thought I saw a Burger King near Penn Station in NYC, but its probably a Gucci store by now. Haven't been up there in a few years.

Uhhh, pretty sure he was being sarcastic. Seriously every Downtown in the US has fast food chains. It's just the way it is.

[wanderer34]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

I'm hoping that he means they're reducing the height of just the shorter portion of the tower--with the park-like terrace on top--and the podium that directly abuts Sansom:



I could understand if the neighbors and others wanted to maintain a shorter, more intimate scale along Sansom (without necessarily reducing the height and scale along Walnut). Maybe just wishful thinking, but hopefully Dustin can clarify.

I feel this is the best residential project this city has ever seen since Mandeville Place. Why not build on the empty lot on 19th and Walnut??? It's better than what we currently have right now, plus our retail will be greatly expanded not only on Walnut St, but along with 1900 Chestnut, also on Sansom St. This project has my fullest support!!!



Looking at the Sansom St side, it looks like the Rittenhouse Coffee Shop on the far left and the rowhome next to the Sophy Curson boutique can be preserved on the proposal , and only the Warwick will have to be demolished. All this vitriol for a WWI-era apartment building!!! Not only will 1911 Walnut greatly change the streetscape for Walnut and Sansom Sts, but those two aforementioned rowhomes will be developed with retail as well. A win-win situation for everybody!!!

[hammersklavier]

Honestly, at this point, I think

- restoration of the Rittenhouse Coffee Shop
- façadectomy of the Warwick
- total demolition of the Bair (but perhaps reusing the stone accents elsewhere on the site?)

is the best solution.

Bair is too squat and the massing compromises needed to maintain it are too extreme; Warwick, by contrast, is about the same height as the podium as-is and offers more visual variety and rhythm to the Sansom Street streetscape IMO.

[1487]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Uhhh, pretty sure he was being sarcastic. Seriously every Downtown in the US has fast food chains. It's just the way it is.

Thank you. And yet you have people making the idiotic argument that presence of any such establishments within our core are a threat to the progress and desirability of CC Philly. Please. Also think its funny that anyone who buys anything at such a place is seen as the equivalent of a criminal/hobo/druggie. Interesting.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by 1487

Thank you. And yet you have people making the idiotic argument that presence of any such establishments within our core are a threat to the progress and desirability of CC Philly. Please. Also think its funny that anyone who buys anything at such a place is seen as the equivalent of a criminal/hobo/druggie. Interesting.

Hey, there are white collar criminals and druggies too. I'm always afraid of being mistaken for one when I go to Wendy's for a Frosty.

[cjPhilly]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

Honestly, at this point, I think

- restoration of the Rittenhouse Coffee Shop
- façadectomy of the Warwick
- total demolition of the Bair (but perhaps reusing the stone accents elsewhere on the site?)

is the best solution.

Agreed. I think this is probably one of the few instances where a facadectomy would actually work and make sense. As you mentioned, the height of the facade and the podium are virtually the same so you don't end up with a modern tower shooting directly up from an historic facade. Also, the building is already essentially "just" a facade, given its treatment and vacancy over the last couple of decades, so its not like losing occupied building space. I really hope that in the end the route taken is the one you've identified.

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

Honestly, at this point, I think

- restoration of the Rittenhouse Coffee Shop
- façadectomy of the Warwick
- total demolition of the Bair (but perhaps reusing the stone accents elsewhere on the site?)

is the best solution.

Bair is too squat and the massing compromises needed to maintain it are too extreme; Warwick, by contrast, is about the same height as the podium as-is and offers more visual variety and rhythm to the Sansom Street streetscape IMO.

Yea I sort of assumed this type of compromise from the beginning. For awhile though this scenario began to seem unlikely as the news coming from SLC regarding early discussions with nearby interested parties seemed to indicate that a reduced height was more of a concern than preserving these buildings. But thankfully the most recent news we've been getting seems to be making this more and more likely. Losing the Bair would be acceptable to me as long as it meant a restoration of the Coffee House and preserving the facade of the Warwick.

Maybe to make preserving the Warwick more appealing we let them build their tower an extra 50 feet or so.

[iheartphilly]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0OnpkDWbeJs

Re:Wendy's

[skyscraper]

Wendy's will probably apply for historic preservation status.
But maybe hammersklavier will settle for just keeping the facade.

[Arch+Eng]

I am against this project. Unless of course they put a Wendy's on Rittenhouse Square.