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  #2041  
Old Posted Apr 22, 2015, 12:51 AM
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Originally Posted by volguus zildrohar View Post
Public expenditures reflect values and values like that aren't relevant to the public anymore. We live in a sad era.
It is sad, but not entirely reflective of today's era. That's what I meant when I said that the iron and steel in the original Chestnut Street Bridge was meant (probably) to showcase the state's booming industries of the day. It wasn't a solely aesthetic choice, it was also a billboard for the state.

I also think there was a much greater amount of public investment in projects like that at the time, especially considering the wealth the city had at the time. In the late 1800s, Philadelphia was the western world's Dubai. It looked pretty and gave us feats of engineering, but they weren't all good for everyone living here, namely those who had to build them. All the more reason to protect what we have left.
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  #2042  
Old Posted Apr 22, 2015, 12:59 AM
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Dude
I am an architect, I am working on the jobsite of a major project in Philadelphia (don't want to say which one) for a major architectural firm (again, don't want to say.) I deal with construction workers all the time, have good relationships with them. My offhand comment was not a joke about the worker's death, it was a joke about poor writing.
     
     
  #2043  
Old Posted Apr 22, 2015, 3:57 AM
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  #2044  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2015, 3:29 PM
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  #2045  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2015, 11:47 PM
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Originally Posted by philatonian View Post
It is sad, but not entirely reflective of today's era. That's what I meant when I said that the iron and steel in the original Chestnut Street Bridge was meant (probably) to showcase the state's booming industries of the day. It wasn't a solely aesthetic choice, it was also a billboard for the state.

I also think there was a much greater amount of public investment in projects like that at the time, especially considering the wealth the city had at the time. In the late 1800s, Philadelphia was the western world's Dubai. It looked pretty and gave us feats of engineering, but they weren't all good for everyone living here, namely those who had to build them. All the more reason to protect what we have left.
Things are different. Worse in some ways. Better in others. Back then, they may have spent more on infrastructure like bridges. But I'm pretty sure they would have been scratching their heads and balking at expenditures on public spaces, greening of the city, popup parks, bike lanes, and the Philadelphia Rail Park.
     
     
  #2046  
Old Posted Apr 26, 2015, 12:12 PM
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Philly is very good at large public spaces.
     
     
  #2047  
Old Posted Apr 27, 2015, 1:02 AM
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Things are different. Worse in some ways. Better in others. Back then, they may have spent more on infrastructure like bridges. But I'm pretty sure they would have been scratching their heads and balking at expenditures on public spaces, greening of the city, popup parks, bike lanes, and the Philadelphia Rail Park.
Oh, I completely agree. I mean that era would make a modern day capitalist blush. Where the city spent money, they spent it with profit in mind. I think back then cities really competed with each other architecturally in a brazen way that only Middle Eastern and Asian cities do today. To build a lot of those feats a city can't really have a conscience. Even where price isn't an object, labor laws really restrict (and rightly so) America's ability to build a lot of the things we did in the late 1800s.

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Philly is very good at large public spaces.
We are now, absolutely. Probably one of the best in the country.
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  #2048  
Old Posted Apr 28, 2015, 3:49 AM
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  #2049  
Old Posted Apr 29, 2015, 4:18 PM
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  #2050  
Old Posted Apr 29, 2015, 8:55 PM
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Originally Posted by philatonian View Post
It is sad, but not entirely reflective of today's era. That's what I meant when I said that the iron and steel in the original Chestnut Street Bridge was meant (probably) to showcase the state's booming industries of the day. It wasn't a solely aesthetic choice, it was also a billboard for the state.

I also think there was a much greater amount of public investment in projects like that at the time, especially considering the wealth the city had at the time. In the late 1800s, Philadelphia was the western world's Dubai. It looked pretty and gave us feats of engineering, but they weren't all good for everyone living here, namely those who had to build them. All the more reason to protect what we have left.
Off-topic but a very interesting subject.

It wasn't just the city's wealth. Remember, back in the American boom period, workers were paid peanuts and there was little to no zoning regulation or work rules. So it was much easier for industrialists and governments to finance lavish projects with expensive materials and master craftsmen. And deals were done in back rooms (perhaps with some cash-filled envelopes) negating the need to pay lawyers to push projects through neighborhood groups, government committees, and potentially lawsuits.

Today, massive infrastructure projects like subways are too impossibly expensive to build; bridges and other public works are built as cheaply as possible (see South St bridge); quality brick and limestone have been replaced by cheap prefab paneling, and intricate detailing like what you see in City Hall, etc. are a thing of the past.

Places like Dubai can afford these insanely expensive projects partially because they are being built by armies of laborers working under near slave-like conditions. NIMBYs? Please. Citizens of Dubai don't even possess the right to vote. Zoning? LOL! Environmental impact studies? Double LOL!

All the conditions that favored massive project building in 1800's America are history here, but can be found in Dubai, China, etc.
     
     
  #2051  
Old Posted Apr 30, 2015, 12:51 AM
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Originally Posted by McBane View Post
Places like Dubai can afford these insanely expensive projects partially because they are being built by armies of laborers working under near slave-like conditions. NIMBYs? Please. Citizens of Dubai don't even possess the right to vote. Zoning? LOL! Environmental impact studies? Double LOL!

All the conditions that favored massive project building in 1800's America are history here, but can be found in Dubai, China, etc.
Yep! That's exactly what I was trying to get at, but you hit the nail on the head. I kind of wish this was it's own thread because I know I'm getting off topic, but I think that's one thing that never comes up in a preservation discussion. Yes, it's knee-jerk to say, "once (said old building) is gone, we're never going to see one like it again." But we don't really delve into the details of why. Borderline slave-labor built some of the country's greatest feats, most of them actually.

But back to the FMC (and so I don't get scolded for rambling), it's going to look amazing in summer's Belmont Plateau picture.
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  #2052  
Old Posted Apr 30, 2015, 11:22 PM
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  #2053  
Old Posted May 1, 2015, 12:46 PM
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This is moving right on up. Looks like 13-14 floors on the core already.
     
     
  #2054  
Old Posted May 1, 2015, 9:30 PM
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You're showing off that camera huh summers? I love it! Great pics. Having a vantage point like the Belmont Plateau is so great. We are lucky to have it. With the construction in U-City, our skyline is changing from sort of a gradual buildup in the center, to sort of a gully approaching the river.

I've always wondered if the Belmont Plateau had any influence on the direction the parkway was laid out. From the Plateau you can almost see right down the parkway to City Hall.

I love Philadelphia.
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  #2055  
Old Posted May 4, 2015, 12:12 AM
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  #2056  
Old Posted May 4, 2015, 1:00 AM
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Its really getting up there!
     
     
  #2057  
Old Posted May 4, 2015, 2:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Philly-Drew View Post
You're showing off that camera huh summers? I love it! Great pics. Having a vantage point like the Belmont Plateau is so great. We are lucky to have it. With the construction in U-City, our skyline is changing from sort of a gradual buildup in the center, to sort of a gully approaching the river.

I've always wondered if the Belmont Plateau had any influence on the direction the parkway was laid out. From the Plateau you can almost see right down the parkway to City Hall.

I love Philadelphia.
Ditto that! I keep thinking Philadelphia's changing from a city bound by two rivers into one that straddles the Schuylkill.

Speaking of UCity and the FMC vicinity, I wandered around that area today, especially the University Hospital district. I really wanted to see the new CHoP building, the round one with all the colors. I've only ever driven through that area. It was so cool to walk through it and see what really amounts to its own city. I felt like I was somewhere else. Same for UCity. I'd love to see something massive land at 36th and Market, something that really rivals Center City's tallest. The changes out there are wild. West Philly should probably have its own general developments thread.
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  #2058  
Old Posted May 4, 2015, 2:56 AM
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Originally Posted by philatonian View Post
Ditto that! I keep thinking Philadelphia's changing from a city bound by two rivers into one that straddles the Schuylkill.

Speaking of UCity and the FMC vicinity, I wandered around that area today, especially the University Hospital district. I really wanted to see the new CHoP building, the round one with all the colors. I've only ever driven through that area. It was so cool to walk through it and see what really amounts to its own city. I felt like I was somewhere else. Same for UCity. I'd love to see something massive land at 36th and Market, something that really rivals Center City's tallest. The changes out there are wild. West Philly should probably have its own general developments thread.
That's why I'm excited to be here another 4 years!
     
     
  #2059  
Old Posted May 4, 2015, 3:28 AM
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That's why I'm excited to be here another 4 years!
LOL stick around for a few more than that. We can always use some fresh talent
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  #2060  
Old Posted May 4, 2015, 11:06 PM
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From Sunday:
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093 by tehshadowbat, on Flickr

098 by tehshadowbat, on Flickr
     
     
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