PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread IX

[allovertown]

Does anyone know what is going on next to the 2nd Bank of the United States on Chestnut and 4th? They took down a huge row of trees next to the bank and look to be totally clearly the area next to the bank. There is a significant crew on site and a construction trailer parked on 4th street that they went to the trouble of constructing makeshift power poles to draw power to the structure, seemingly indicating they plan on being there for a while.

I would love to find out that Philadelphia is doing something with at least a portion of the vacant grass fields they call a national park.

[volguus zildrohar]

Originally Posted by Jonboy1983

I've wondered that for years. To think it only took 27 years to put one up there! Just one question, why the heck is it not on the 61st floor???

The 61st floor is not terribly commodious. Remember the building tapers considerably at the crown. I'm guessing that one of the reasons that an observation deck wasn't installed at the start was that there wasn't much room for it as built - and I guess one wasn't considered in the initial plans.

Here's the one photo I know of from that floor:


philly.com

[rricci]

Originally Posted by Londonee

PMC's buildings are like reality TV shows: quick and cheap to make with massive profit potential. Can some of these shows end up being somewhat entertaining? Sure, that's the point. But they have no lasting merit.

Uh, not for nothing but Survivor is in its like 18th season and Big Brother like it's 15th. So it's more accurate to say SOME reality shows have no lasting merit and to follow your analogy then maybe SOME PMC buildings will...let's stay hopeful until we see the real proposal.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by allovertown

Does anyone know what is going on next to the 2nd Bank of the United States on Chestnut and 4th? They took down a huge row of trees next to the bank and look to be totally clearly the area next to the bank. There is a significant crew on site and a construction trailer parked on 4th street that they went to the trouble of constructing makeshift power poles to draw power to the structure, seemingly indicating they plan on being there for a while.

I would love to find out that Philadelphia is doing something with at least a portion of the vacant grass fields they call a national park.

Well, I hope that would not mean putting buildings on all of them...I am as pro-Skyscraper as the next guy on here. But great green space and public space makes a city. Philly needs more of it (done RIGHT). Not less.

[summersm343]

EisnerAmper making move to Center City from Jenkintown

EisnerAmper will relocate its main local office from Jenkintown to One Logan Square in Center City, becoming the first business to apply for and receive the Philadelphia Jobs Creation tax credits passed in October by city council.

The accounting firm will consolidate its main office at 101 West Avenue in Jenkintown and a Center City satellite location at Two Logan Square to One Logan, where it signed a 15-year lease with with Brandywine Realty Trust (NYSE:BDN) for approximately 42,000 square feet of space on the 29th and 30th floors — the top two floors in the building overlooking the Ben Franklin Parkway. The firm will make the move in November 2015, a month after the Jenkintown lease expires.

Lori Reiner, partner-in-charge of EisnerAmper's Philadelphia practice, said the firm will be required to bring a minimum of 100 new jobs to the city in order to qualify for the tax credits. It will easily meet that standard as the 30,000 square-foot Jenkintown office houses 131 employees while the 7,000 square-foot Two Logan office has 20 employees.

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...credits-lure-big-accounting-firm-to.html

[VikingDutchman]

I know accounting firms are not the kind of sexy employers people get excited about moving to downtown, but this is still very positive news.

Plus anything that isn't Eds-Meds or Comcast promotes Philly's diversification, vital to protect us going forward.

[skyscraper]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

I am as pro-Skyscraper as the next guy on here.

Why thank you.

[Outtahere]

Originally Posted by skyscraper

Why thank you.

Back just in time to say .......... " Good one ".

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

Well, I hope that would not mean putting buildings on all of them...I am as pro-Skyscraper as the next guy on here. But great green space and public space makes a city. Philly needs more of it (done RIGHT). Not less.

I agree for the most part. But this part of Philadelphia is not lacking for green space. It's everywhere to the point where it impacts the vitality of the area. Have you ever walked around here at night? Blocks of green space, most of it surrounded by brick walls. It's a surprisingly a really deserted area at night or in the winter when the tourists aren't around.

I would never suggest getting rid of all of the green space in the Independence Mall area (or even most of it), but this area has a lot of green space, most of it done very poorly. The green space next to the second bank I'm talking about here I've literally never seen anyone use in 30 years except when the park rangers cut the grass.

Long term it seems clear that Independence Mall itself, Independence Square, and Washington Square park should remain green space forever. So that's already a lot of green space you're committed to in the immediate area, even if you converted half of the remaining park land into more active uses, there will still be more than enough green space in the area, not to mention the fact that just a few posts above mine there is more discussion surrounding the possible addition of another huge swath of green park space if and when they ever cap I95.

I'm not even suggesting they should be building skyscrapers. I personally don't care at all about height and skylines. I just appreciate density and active street life. Most of Independence National Park is a total failure from an urban planning perspective, containing blocks of blank walls with nothing at all to see or do once the national park attractions close at 5pm.

Besides I never understood why they cleared out these blocks in the first place. Even back in 1776 these were densely populated blocks filled with residences, businesses, retail, restaurants, etc. and they remained among the most active and vibrant blocks in Philadelphia for centuries to follow.

Clearing these blocks to create Independence National Park not only took away much of that vibrancy, but it also created false version of history for tourists to see where it looks like our founding fathers gathered in a sparse pastoral village to create our nation instead of the densest most urban city in America at the time.

[philly13]

Originally Posted by allovertown

Besides I never understood why they cleared out these blocks in the first place. Even back in 1776 these were densely populated blocks filled with residences, businesses, retail, restaurants, etc. and they remained among the most active and vibrant blocks in Philadelphia for centuries to follow.

Clearing these blocks to create Independence National Park not only took away much of that vibrancy, but it also created false version of history for tourists to see where it looks like our founding fathers gathered in a sparse pastoral village to create our nation instead of the densest most urban city in America at the time.

The east side of the city remained the most active for centuries to follow because everyone lived along the Delaware back then. No one wanted to move west like William Penn had planned for. But now, the west has had more density for a little while now.

And maybe your definition of "vibrant" is different than mine but this does not like the vibrant heart of a city. How many tourists would want to go there?




I'm not saying you're wrong about improving street life there but I also wanted you to see that in the mid 1900s, green was better than nothing.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by allovertown

I agree for the most part. But this part of Philadelphia is not lacking for green space. It's everywhere to the point where it impacts the vitality of the area. Have you ever walked around here at night? Blocks of green space, most of it surrounded by brick walls. It's a surprisingly a really deserted area at night or in the winter when the tourists aren't around.

I would never suggest getting rid of all of the green space in the Independence Mall area (or even most of it), but this area has a lot of green space, most of it done very poorly. The green space next to the second bank I'm talking about here I've literally never seen anyone use in 30 years except when the park rangers cut the grass.

Long term it seems clear that Independence Mall itself, Independence Square, and Washington Square park should remain green space forever. So that's already a lot of green space you're committed to in the immediate area, even if you converted half of the remaining park land into more active uses, there will still be more than enough green space in the area, not to mention the fact that just a few posts above mine there is more discussion surrounding the possible addition of another huge swath of green park space if and when they ever cap I95.

I'm not even suggesting they should be building skyscrapers. I personally don't care at all about height and skylines. I just appreciate density and active street life. Most of Independence National Park is a total failure from an urban planning perspective, containing blocks of blank walls with nothing at all to see or do once the national park attractions close at 5pm.

Besides I never understood why they cleared out these blocks in the first place. Even back in 1776 these were densely populated blocks filled with residences, businesses, retail, restaurants, etc. and they remained among the most active and vibrant blocks in Philadelphia for centuries to follow.

Clearing these blocks to create Independence National Park not only took away much of that vibrancy, but it also created false version of history for tourists to see where it looks like our founding fathers gathered in a sparse pastoral village to create our nation instead of the densest most urban city in America at the time.

I guess I agree in the sense that green space and public space must be done right, and perhaps there is room for improvement in that area. But I think we need to be very careful and circumspect in that particular area of the city as to what is getting cleared out and what is being built. It does have a unique character that I think should be preserved. In any case, I too, would be interested in what is being proposed for Chestnut and 4th.

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by philly13

The east side of the city remained the most active for centuries to follow because everyone lived along the Delaware back then. No one wanted to move west like William Penn had planned for. But now, the west has had more density for a little while now.

And maybe your definition of "vibrant" is different than mine but this does not like the vibrant heart of a city. How many tourists would want to go there?




I'm not saying you're wrong about improving street life there but I also wanted you to see that in the mid 1900s, green was better than nothing.

Nothing? Some of those buildings look incredible.

In any event that is a view of what is currently Independence Mall and as much as I may be dissatisfied with the end result, I do agree that creating a central green space for tourists to congregate and events to take was in general a very good idea. As I just said, Independence Mall should remain green space, and that seems very likely to be the case forever.

The space I'm talking about is a block away from this. This is what the area looked like a few months ago before the work started: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9483196,...3m2!1scKu6NDQKk1F8kPGulMohgQ!2e0!6m1!1e1

Totally wasted green space. Nothing going on there, nothing happening. Just a blank boring wall for pedestrians.

And while some of the buildings in front of Independence Hall look very impressive, they at least were knocked down to create Independence Mall, a crucial development for our city. This green space next to the second bank is crucial to nothing and does nothing. Same with the similar green space right across the street.

Here's a look at some of the amazing buildings we lost to create these wasted spaces courtesy of Philaphilia:

http://philaphilia.blogspot.com/2011/07/lost-building-of-week-july-13th.html

http://philaphilia.blogspot.com/2011/06/lost-building-of-week-june-22nd.html

http://philaphilia.blogspot.com/2011/08/lost-building-of-week-august-10th.html

They were all replaced with nothing but wasted green space located right next to plenty of other green space.

I don't think that anything we build now will hold a candle to these amazing buildings, but we should at least try. All those empty grass fields are a waste of space especially considering there are so many truly great public spaces a block away.

This part of Philadelphia wasn't some pastoral rural area in 1776 so I don't have any idea why we try and give that impression to tourists who come to visit in 2014.

[philatonian]

Originally Posted by philly13

The east side of the city remained the most active for centuries to follow because everyone lived along the Delaware back then. No one wanted to move west like William Penn had planned for. But now, the west has had more density for a little while now.

And maybe your definition of "vibrant" is different than mine but this does not like the vibrant heart of a city. How many tourists would want to go there?




I'm not saying you're wrong about improving street life there but I also wanted you to see that in the mid 1900s, green was better than nothing.

I think it doesn't look vibrant because everything is covered in soot. Other than that, it essentially looks like the bulk of Old City with less surface lots.

What happened to this area is a little more complex than residents simply wanting to live on the Delaware. The river itself was heavily industrialized well before the Industrial Revolution. After the IR, wealthy residents began leaving Colonial row homes in Society Hill to build estates in West Philadelphia, large homes on North Broad Street, and in the Main Line's "Streetcar Suburbs." Those who remained in Center City built large row homes near Rittenhouse Square.

The parts of Center City west of Broad that weren't so nice were bound by Broad Street Station and the "Chinese Wall," the elevated tracks carrying trains out of town.

During that time, Society Hill and Washington Square remained the city's Central Business District. It wasn't until the Great Depression that everything fell apart, for better or worse.

Wealthy residents left their homes, businesses collapsed leaving Society Hill a slum, and industry deteriorated along the Delaware River.

In the 1950s, massive government investment began razing the slums in an attempt to attract residents and businesses by freeing up land. Broad Street Station and the "Chinese Wall" were demolished, relocating the train station to 30th Street, creating massive land for the skyscrapers that now make up the Central Business District.

The buildings that once on Independence Mall were razed for more greenspace, along with the additional parks south of Independence Hall. Prior, this area was dirty and dangerous, but had the infrastructure survived, it would likely be packed with the same lofts and restaurants found in Old City.

Later, two blocks of aging buildings were demolished along Market Street to build the Gallery to compete with suburban shopping malls. Dozens of factories along the Delaware were torn down to build I-95. The same happened well into the 90s to build the Convention Center and to complete 676.

I'm not saying it's bad. The parks that make up Society Hill and the neighborhood's reinvention are - at least in my opinion - successful. But it's hard to look at a 100 year old picture and question its vibrancy when we're used to something so different now.

[josef]

Can anyone point to a successful space in another city that's just a bunch of grass with some concrete paths through it? I really despise the entire mall's two-block blahness. I like GroJLart's "Grass Lot Collection" name for the whole area. It's so boring.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by josef

Can anyone point to a successful space in another city that's just a bunch of grass with some concrete paths through it? I really despise the entire mall's two-block blahness. I like GroJLart's "Grass Lot Collection" name for the whole area. It's so boring.

The National Mall in DC, which I've always assumed was the inspiration for Independence Mall. But that's a completely different context, surrounded as it is by an incredible array of national landmarks and world-class museums, and populated year-round by a massive number of tourists (and federal employees). Independence Mall has attempted to replicate that more recently with the National Constitution Center, Independence Visitor's Center, Liberty Bell Center, President's House, National Museum of American Jewish History, etc. For what it's worth.

[Baconboy007]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

The National Mall in DC, which I've always assumed was the inspiration for Independence Mall. But that's a completely different context, surrounded as it is by an incredible array of national landmarks and world-class museums, and populated year-round by a massive number of tourists (and federal employees). Independence Mall has attempted to replicate that more recently with the National Constitution Center, Independence Visitor's Center, Liberty Bell Center, President's House, National Museum of American Jewish History, etc. For what it's worth.

Speaking of which, have you seen the prime real estate the National Museum of African American History and Culture is getting? The brief view I had of the renderings left a little more to be desired as well.

[apetrella802]

Originally Posted by philatonian

I think it doesn't look vibrant because everything is covered in soot. Other than that, it essentially looks like the bulk of Old City with less surface lots.

What happened to this area is a little more complex than residents simply wanting to live on the Delaware. The river itself was heavily industrialized well before the Industrial Revolution. After the IR, wealthy residents began leaving Colonial row homes in Society Hill to build estates in West Philadelphia, large homes on North Broad Street, and in the Main Line's "Streetcar Suburbs." Those who remained in Center City built large row homes near Rittenhouse Square.

The parts of Center City west of Broad that weren't so nice were bound by Broad Street Station and the "Chinese Wall," the elevated tracks carrying trains out of town.

During that time, Society Hill and Washington Square remained the city's Central Business District. It wasn't until the Great Depression that everything fell apart, for better or worse.

Wealthy residents left their homes, businesses collapsed leaving Society Hill a slum, and industry deteriorated along the Delaware River.

In the 1950s, massive government investment began razing the slums in an attempt to attract residents and businesses by freeing up land. Broad Street Station and the "Chinese Wall" were demolished, relocating the train station to 30th Street, creating massive land for the skyscrapers that now make up the Central Business District.

The buildings that once on Independence Mall were razed for more greenspace, along with the additional parks south of Independence Hall. Prior, this area was dirty and dangerous, but had the infrastructure survived, it would likely be packed with the same lofts and restaurants found in Old City.

Later, two blocks of aging buildings were demolished along Market Street to build the Gallery to compete with suburban shopping malls. Dozens of factories along the Delaware were torn down to build I-95. The same happened well into the 90s to build the Convention Center and to complete 676.

I'm not saying it's bad. The parks that make up Society Hill and the neighborhood's reinvention are - at least in my opinion - successful. But it's hard to look at a 100 year old picture and question its vibrancy when we're used to something so different now.

if you want to see Phila in all its Gilded Age glory go here, but you will have to go through many pages of notable men of the time until you get to pics of every important building, factory, city homes and country homes

https://archive.org/details/ldpd_9340120_000

[josef]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

The National Mall in DC, which I've always assumed was the inspiration for Independence Mall. But that's a completely different context, surrounded as it is by an incredible array of national landmarks and world-class museums, and populated year-round by a massive number of tourists (and federal employees). Independence Mall has attempted to replicate that more recently with the National Constitution Center, Independence Visitor's Center, Liberty Bell Center, President's House, National Museum of American Jewish History, etc. For what it's worth.

Mmmm. So grass.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nation...7b79b5aff3d31:0x3a08ab4ca2062741!6m1!1e1

Yeah, I don't like that one either.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by josef

Mmmm. So grass.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nation...7b79b5aff3d31:0x3a08ab4ca2062741!6m1!1e1

Yeah, I don't like that one either.

They also have to leave room there for massive national gatherings like, oh, presidential inaugurations, various anti- and pro- rallies, July 4th, etc.

[br323206]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

They also have to leave room there for massive national gatherings like, oh, presidential inaugurations, various anti- and pro- rallies, July 4th, etc.

I always thought the gravel paths on the National Mall looked so cheap and tacky. We're one of the wealthiest countries in the world and we can't afford macadam or brick?