Philadelphia 2035 (Media, Liberty: department stores, agencies, clean)

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

Absolutely! I always forget about it and it surprises me when I'm on the north side of Market.

The tower has some character too. One thing I do like is when modern abuts older style architecture (when well done). One of the really cool things about Philly IMO.

Note: The architect is SOM. A relief that someone other than Bart and other local cronies is designing a tower in Philly. And SOM is much much better than the others. Hopefully, the podium and quality materials will stay unchanged.

Bart Blatstein is a developer, not an architect. He chose Cope Lindner to design that tower all its neighbors hate at Broad and Washington, which may never get built from the looks of things.

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill may be a large national firm, but I don't consider it that much better than, say, BLTa when it comes to imaginative design. They could have turned to Norman Foster (as Comcast did), or Helmut Jahn (Liberty Place), or Cesar Pelli (Cira Centre, on which BLTa was project architect on the FMC Tower), or Kohn Pederson Fox (Carl Dranoff's currently stalled SLS Hotel & Residences).

The building's not ugly, but it's a glass box. One person I know asked me after seeing the rendering, "Why do all the new buildings here have to be blue?"

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Bart Blatstein is a developer, not an architect. He chose Cope Lindner to design that tower all its neighbors hate at Broad and Washington, which may never get built from the looks of things.

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill may be a large national firm, but I don't consider it that much better than, say, BLTa when it comes to imaginative design. They could have turned to Norman Foster (as Comcast did), or Helmut Jahn (Liberty Place), or Cesar Pelli (Cira Centre, on which BLTa was project architect on the FMC Tower), or Kohn Pederson Fox (Carl Dranoff's currently stalled SLS Hotel & Residences).

The building's not ugly, but it's a glass box. One person I know asked me after seeing the rendering, "Why do all the new buildings here have to be blue?"

I happen to like all the glass towers. And, for the love of god, is it possible to stop having yet another protracted discussion in this town about, " Oh, gee, let's drag this out and wait because it's looks blue in an initial rendering." How often did that person say one word about that lot being there for years?

We are in a bit of a golden period where we may finally be able to eliminate every single surface parking lot in
Center City and University City.

[MB1562]

It really blows my mind how much has changed in the 6 1/2 years I've lived in and around Philadelphia. I remember the first time I ever walked through Philadelphia in September of 2010, and thinking back now on how much it has changed since then. Seeing all this new development really gives me hope for this place.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by kyb01

I happen to like all the glass towers. And, for the love of god, is it possible to stop having yet another protracted discussion in this town about, " Oh, gee, let's drag this out and wait because it's looks blue in an initial rendering." How often did that person say one word about that lot being there for years?

We are in a bit of a golden period where we may finally be able to eliminate every single surface parking lot in
Center City and University City.

I've been reading some press on it, and people are still complaining... "Its out of character with the neighborhood, too tall, overshadows the Residence Inn, its too glassy, doesn't match Wanamakers"


I am like you've got to be kidding me, this once again is the exact crap I constantly complain about with Philadelphia and this negative, miserable, narrow minded attitude. Why can't people be happy with progress and change?


I just hope this building actually comes to fruition, but I could see it turning into another Family Court Building, or remaining a vacant lot.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MB1562

It really blows my mind how much has changed in the 6 1/2 years I've lived in and around Philadelphia. I remember the first time I ever walked through Philadelphia in September of 2010, and thinking back now on how much it has changed since then. Seeing all this new development really gives me hope for this place.

In 2010 we were still very much being affected by the Great Recession. Some projects were likely put on serious "hold". Money dried up.

Since then we have picked up steam and it definitely shows. It's not just new buildings, there are projects wrt re-habbing older exteriors on buildings. I'm seeing scafolding on older buildings that one would not see a few years ago.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

I've been reading some press on it, and people are still complaining... "Its out of character with the neighborhood, too tall, overshadows the Residence Inn, its too glassy, doesn't match Wanamakers"


I am like you've got to be kidding me, this once again is the exact crap I constantly complain about with Philadelphia and this negative, miserable, narrow minded attitude. Why can't people be happy with progress and change?


I just hope this building actually comes to fruition, but I could see it turning into another Family Court Building, or remaining a vacant lot.

Oh, for God's sake! Not again.

So let's keep a frigging parking lot for years more. If it's tall enough any resemblance to Family Court won't matter.

Do these fools ever consider how forwarding-thinking John Wanamaker was? He took an old rail depot and created a state-of-the art, for then, shopping emporium.

[AJNEOA]

The question is why anyone has any say in a vacant lot that a developer owns that they plan to build on. East Market, especially at this site, is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site, nor is it going to require knocking down an existing structure. It's a major business district, utilizing a vacant lot to build something that fits the exact purpose of a site like this. The developer should be able to build this without question.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

I've been reading some press on it, and people are still complaining... "Its out of character with the neighborhood, too tall, overshadows the Residence Inn, its too glassy, doesn't match Wanamakers"


I am like you've got to be kidding me, this once again is the exact crap I constantly complain about with Philadelphia and this negative, miserable, narrow minded attitude. Why can't people be happy with progress and change?


I just hope this building actually comes to fruition, but I could see it turning into another Family Court Building, or remaining a vacant lot.

Tbh, these new building press announcements need to stop. All they seem to do is bring out all the naysayers and concern trolls who want to block initiatives just because they can voice "opinions" in comment sections.

Rest-assured, as you probably know already, that some of those negative comments come from suburbanites.

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

The question is why anyone has any say in a vacant lot that a developer owns that they plan to build on. East Market, especially at this site, is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site, nor is it going to require knocking down an existing structure. It's a major business district, utilizing a vacant lot to build something that fits the exact purpose of a site like this. The developer should be able to build this without question.

Well, there's "councilman's prerogative" and other blessings they need to collect before any dirt is shoveled. It's hard to know how much of that has taken place. At least it's in Squilla's sandbox and not Kenyatta's.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Tbh, these new building press announcements need to stop. All they seem to do is bring out all the naysayers and concern trolls who want to block initiatives just because they can voice "opinions" in comment sections.

Rest-assured, as you probably know already, that some of those negative comments come from suburbanites.

O I know. Of course there is a lot of positive feedback as well, but with every positive there seems to be a negative, and bitter people who don't live in the city hate seeing it succeed.




I follow some facebook threads about development in Media PA (my hometown), Media is going thru a building renaissance as well, and I see the same negative crap on there as well. A lot of naysayers who don't like growth and change.