PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[mcgrath618]

http://www.philly.com/real-estate/inga-s...condo-project-architecture-20190111.html
Inga had some things to say about the proposed condo behind the Rodin Museum. The crux of her argument is that the building would stick out like a sore thumb next to the Rodin Museum, and that it could harm any chances of the abandoned rail line just south of Spring Garden turning into a park.
I agree that the current design isn't Cecil's greatest. Inga mentions more masonry, and I honestly am shocked to find myself agreeing. If they could build something a-la The Alexander, it would look great and really tie the area together. I really don't think that turning that ditch into a rail park would work, so I am not as concerned as she is regarding that.
Hopefully the Art Commission and Cecil can come to an agreement. They're apparently supposed to start building in March, so we'll see.

[iheartphilly]

^
Also a glass reflection study onto the museum. They cited an example of a glass bldg in another city that caused damage to artwork because of directed light onto the art.

[Aaamazarite]

Originally Posted by Gerdman

I have been wondering for a long time about the property next to the new Pyramid Lofts (The dirty looking building across the street, looks like an old storage facility or something). I found this looking for information on it. It is between the building I was looking for information on and the newer apartment conversion "Eastern Lofts".

http://www.designprodev.com/the-garden-on-glenwood/


Still haven't found anything on the building next to it, though.

This is what's going there-- its a new building for an independent community school

[PurpleWhiteOut]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

http://www.philly.com/real-estate/inga-s...condo-project-architecture-20190111.html
Inga had some things to say about the proposed condo behind the Rodin Museum. The crux of her argument is that the building would stick out like a sore thumb next to the Rodin Museum, and that it could harm any chances of the abandoned rail line just south of Spring Garden turning into a park.
I agree that the current design isn't Cecil's greatest. Inga mentions more masonry, and I honestly am shocked to find myself agreeing. If they could build something a-la The Alexander, it would look great and really tie the area together. I really don't think that turning that ditch into a rail park would work, so I am not as concerned as she is regarding that.
Hopefully the Art Commission and Cecil can come to an agreement. They're apparently supposed to start building in March, so we'll see.

The thing I'm most worried about is the rail line right of way getting interfered with. Honestly, I wish they would drop the idea of the rail park here, because I would love the abandoned rail line to become mass transit. Even if they just ran busses through the tunnel without installing rail, it would be great. There could be stops at CCP, at the museums, and all the way up to 30th and Girard. A mass transit line here would really help connect Fairmount and Brewerytown to CC, and the tunnel is already built. At least the rail park would preserve the RoW, though. Building a new, equivalent mass transit line would be prohibitively expensive, but they can use what they have if it were reinforced and brought up to code. AFAIK most of the rail line is already owned by SEPTA.

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by PurpleWhiteOut

AFAIK most of the rail line is already owned by SEPTA.

This is correct. I also agree it would be better utilized as transit.

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

http://www.philly.com/real-estate/inga-s...condo-project-architecture-20190111.html
Inga had some things to say about the proposed condo behind the Rodin Museum. The crux of her argument is that the building would stick out like a sore thumb next to the Rodin Museum, and that it could harm any chances of the abandoned rail line just south of Spring Garden turning into a park.
I agree that the current design isn't Cecil's greatest. Inga mentions more masonry, and I honestly am shocked to find myself agreeing. If they could build something a-la The Alexander, it would look great and really tie the area together. I really don't think that turning that ditch into a rail park would work, so I am not as concerned as she is regarding that.
Hopefully the Art Commission and Cecil can come to an agreement. They're apparently supposed to start building in March, so we'll see.

Its always hard to criticize a architect when you don't know what limits the owners have placed on them, but in this case I'll say that Cecil should be embarrassed to attach his name to this dog. For a project the owner claims they want to start in March they are only releasing one drawing, even to the Art Commission who has the power to go thumbs up or thumbs down.
Something seems very 'not right' about this project. This could be an amazing site and one that demands first class design and construction, not a poorly detailed glass box out of the '70's.

[Aaamazarite]

New stuff:

Parish House at 301 Lombard

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/400-36-S-3rd-St.pdf

Overbuild at 146 Bread in Old City

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meeting...ns/146-48-Bread-St-and-217-Quarry-St.pdf

Facadectomy and overbuild of the Blue Horizon 1314 N Broad

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/1314-16-N-Broad-St.pdf

Facadectomy and overbuild at 2204 Walnut

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/2204-Walnut-St.pdf


Restoration and overbuild at Harbison Dairies building

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/2041-55-Coral-St.pdf

[summersm343]

^^Really great stuff! Thanks for posting.

[Vince_]

Originally Posted by Aaamazarite

New stuff:

Parish House at 301 Lombard

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/400-36-S-3rd-St.pdf

Overbuild at 146 Bread in Old City

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meeting...ns/146-48-Bread-St-and-217-Quarry-St.pdf

Facadectomy and overbuild of the Blue Horizon 1314 N Broad

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/1314-16-N-Broad-St.pdf

Facadectomy and overbuild at 2204 Walnut

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/2204-Walnut-St.pdf


Restoration and overbuild at Harbison Dairies building

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/2041-55-Coral-St.pdf

Awesome stuff. It's nice to see so many great old buildings being renovated and retrofitted for modern day use. It's just a shame the Blue Horizon will lose that iconic boxing arena. Still better than it sitting in disrepair though.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by Aaamazarite

New stuff:

Parish House at 301 Lombard

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/400-36-S-3rd-St.pdf

Overbuild at 146 Bread in Old City

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meeting...ns/146-48-Bread-St-and-217-Quarry-St.pdf

Facadectomy and overbuild of the Blue Horizon 1314 N Broad

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/1314-16-N-Broad-St.pdf

Facadectomy and overbuild at 2204 Walnut

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/2204-Walnut-St.pdf

Restoration and overbuild at Harbison Dairies building

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/2041-55-Coral-St.pdf

Great stuff. And really great to see Walnut from 20th to the river filling in with great projects. These blocks have long been a bit bleak but have really started to come around the last few years.

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

Great stuff. And really great to see Walnut from 20th to the river filling in with great projects. These blocks have long been a bit bleak but have really started to come around the last few years.

Most of that is ownership. The slumlord realty companies that own the "luxury" apartments along this stretch. The facades are in poor shape, no exterior greenery, plantings or TLC. Just crumbling, poorly maintained absolutely gorgeous brownstones. It's a shame really. I wish we had some recourse in the city to hold these companies accountable for their hundreds of eyesores on prime stretches.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by Londonee

Most of that is ownership. The slumlord realty companies that own the "luxury" apartments along this stretch. The facades are in poor shape, no exterior greenery, plantings or TLC. Just crumbling, poorly maintained absolutely gorgeous brownstones. It's a shame really. I wish we had some recourse in the city to hold these companies accountable for their hundreds of eyesores on prime stretches.

Yes.

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by Aaamazarite

New stuff:

Facadectomy and overbuild of the Blue Horizon 1314 N Broad

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/1314-16-N-Broad-St.pdf

I'm really hating those modern railings going up everywhere. There are a bunch of 19th century rows in and around the City with those things - really a mismatch.

Why replace this,



With this,

Originally Posted by Aaamazarite

Restoration and overbuild at Harbison Dairies building

https://www.phila.gov/historical/meetingsandevents/Applications/2041-55-Coral-St.pdf

Too bad Ori Feibush didn't decide to do something similar with the Chocolate Factory.

[iheartphilly]

[QUOTE=PHL10;8437593]I'm really hating those modern railings going up everywhere. There are a bunch of 19th century rows in and around the City with those things - really a mismatch.

Why replace this,



With this,



Totally agree. The ornate iron rails are fabulous and a piece of history of the building. They are worth more than the replacement both in real and intrinsic value. The replacement is so bland and lack character. How much work goes into that as oppose to the ornate one?

[Parkway]

Originally Posted by Parkway

I'm officially going with Rodin Place.

So technically I wasn't wrong, a new proposal surfaced for that lot in the intervening time as well.

[PurpleWhiteOut]

So according to the linked documents, the historical commission recommended denial of the bread st overbuild and the blue horizon facadectomy. I'm not familiar with their oversight, does that hold any weight in terms of delays or redesign?

While I mostly like the Blue Horizon project, I hate the idea of turning the rightmost staircase into a seating area. It just looks bizarre

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by PurpleWhiteOut

So according to the linked documents, the historical commission recommended denial of the bread st overbuild and the blue horizon facadectomy. I'm not familiar with their oversight, does that hold any weight in terms of delays or redesign?

Those are recommendations of the Commission's staff only, which do carry some weight, but are only a preliminary part of the process. The next steps are consideration by the Architectural Committee (a subset of the Commission members) next Tuesday and then the full Historical Commission.

The staff reviews consider projects in the context of the relevant parts of the US Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and Guidelines.

[eixample]

Originally Posted by PurpleWhiteOut

So according to the linked documents, the historical commission recommended denial of the bread st overbuild and the blue horizon facadectomy. I'm not familiar with their oversight, does that hold any weight in terms of delays or redesign?

The Historical Commission can kill projects outright. A party can always appeal to the L&I board and then the courts, but they should defer to the commission's opinion. If you saw something about a recommendation of denial maybe it was a committee of the Historical Commission that recommend to the full commission that they deny the project?

The Civic Design Review committee or board is the one always mentioned on this forum that is toothless and has no power except to make a developer come back a second time.

[PurpleWhiteOut]

Thanks for the insight. I know the CDR only has recommendation power. Those two projects have the recommendation of denial, so I guess we'll have to see about those two projects since they involve more radical changes to the properties. Thanks for the insight! In the case of the blue horizon project, I actually hope they scrap some of the facade changes, but the bread street project seems reasonable to me. A couple of the other projects are also seemingly on the fence about the setback depth and roofdecks. The recommendations are at the bottom of the first page or two

[McBane]

Damn. If I was king of the world, there would be a single committee to review a project holistically, with input from a preservationist (to assess any historical implications), an economist (to weigh in on how a project will impact city revenues), an urban planner (to assess how a project impacts the streetscape), an architect (design recommendations), a zoning expert, and a neighborhood advocate (to rep the NIMBYs). Their word would be final.

And to hell with the myriad of committees and red tape.