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  #2421  
Old Posted Jan 8, 2015, 10:54 PM
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Construction on Eric Blumenfeld’s Mural Arts Lofts Project Will Begin in February
By James Jennings | January 8, 2015 at 4:08 pm




Eric Blumenfeld’s transformation of North Broad Street is about to add another point on the map: the former Thaddeus Stevens School at Broad and Spring Garden Street.

In a tip of the cap to Philadelphia’s Mural Arts program, the development will now be called Mural Arts Lofts and consist of 56 loft-style apartments that seek to reuse the existing elements found in the school. Each unit will have the original chalkboards and built-in cabinets and the hardwood floors will also be restored in the process.

Thanks to a $16.2 million development budget–a figure that includes the purchase of the property–construction on the project will begin as early as February, according to Christopher Cordaro, Executive Director at EB Realty Management (EBRM). Cordaro described the building as having "great bones" that "lend itself to a straightforward build out."
Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/property/20...8mX05gp8Ix2.99
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  #2422  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2015, 2:14 PM
Insoluble Insoluble is offline
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Originally Posted by josef View Post
Blumenfeld has got a lot of irons in the fire on North Broad at this point. I would love to see that building redeveloped, Broad and Spring garden seems ripe for a mass of development, but I'm concerned about the developer's ability to manage this project on top of the Divine Lorane AND Metropolitan Opera House. He's got a lot invested in some serious treasures on North Broad and I would love to see all of them developed successfully. Does he actually have the resources to pull off all three of these major projects simultaneously or will one or two of them continue to languish for a few years while he concentrates on the others?
     
     
  #2423  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2015, 3:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Insoluble View Post
Blumenfeld has got a lot of irons in the fire on North Broad at this point. I would love to see that building redeveloped, Broad and Spring garden seems ripe for a mass of development, but I'm concerned about the developer's ability to manage this project on top of the Divine Lorane AND Metropolitan Opera House. He's got a lot invested in some serious treasures on North Broad and I would love to see all of them developed successfully. Does he actually have the resources to pull off all three of these major projects simultaneously or will one or two of them continue to languish for a few years while he concentrates on the others?
not much seems to be happening with the DL thus far. I am wondering what is really going on.
     
     
  #2424  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2015, 4:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Insoluble View Post
Blumenfeld has got a lot of irons in the fire on North Broad at this point. I would love to see that building redeveloped, Broad and Spring garden seems ripe for a mass of development, but I'm concerned about the developer's ability to manage this project on top of the Divine Lorane AND Metropolitan Opera House. He's got a lot invested in some serious treasures on North Broad and I would love to see all of them developed successfully. Does he actually have the resources to pull off all three of these major projects simultaneously or will one or two of them continue to languish for a few years while he concentrates on the others?
He does. I feel like he's trying to be to North Broad what Blatstein is/was to Northern Liberties. I don't know anything about his successes, if he has the resources. I forgot about the Met project, too. Hm..
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  #2425  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2015, 4:22 PM
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  #2426  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2015, 4:29 PM
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Originally Posted by josef View Post
He does. I feel like he's trying to be to North Broad what Blatstein is/was to Northern Liberties. I don't know anything about his successes, if he has the resources. I forgot about the Met project, too. Hm..
Based on his track record of doing what exactly?

He's owned these properties for years now. He's been involved with the DL since 2005. Every few months there's a great piece of press about him (he must be really charming with reporters?) talking about his "vision" and how such-and-such a project is about to get started. This one is from almost 4 years ago now.

Hey Kids, I'm cool and hip and am gonna save north Broad!

^From Philly Curbed.

^From Philly Magazine.

Perhaps less ego-based photo shoots and more in the way of action. North Broad is still an absolute shit show.
     
     
  #2427  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2015, 4:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Insoluble View Post
Blumenfeld has got a lot of irons in the fire on North Broad at this point. I would love to see that building redeveloped, Broad and Spring garden seems ripe for a mass of development, but I'm concerned about the developer's ability to manage this project on top of the Divine Lorane AND Metropolitan Opera House. He's got a lot invested in some serious treasures on North Broad and I would love to see all of them developed successfully. Does he actually have the resources to pull off all three of these major projects simultaneously or will one or two of them continue to languish for a few years while he concentrates on the others?
He mentioned at a community meeting (and personally I really liked his vision) that he's been talking to Drexel and wants to build a Drexel Medicine campus at Broad & SG. It would be both residential and medical/educational. The idea is they work so much with Hahnemann and have a Drexel Med building right there and basically that people who are training to be doctors don't want to be all the way in N. Philly, they want to be in center city.

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Originally Posted by 1487 View Post
not much seems to be happening with the DL thus far. I am wondering what is really going on.
As far as I know they are waiting on some key grant paperwork to get through the PA government. Once that grant is released, the bank will release the financing to begin construction. Last I heard this should be happening very early 2015.

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Originally Posted by josef View Post
He does. I feel like he's trying to be to North Broad what Blatstein is/was to Northern Liberties. I don't know anything about his successes, if he has the resources. I forgot about the Met project, too. Hm..
He's got a lot of projects, but he's proved he can do it with 600 and 640 N Broad. They seem to be smashing successes in a lot of ways. He's also working on the former Studebaker building which is one block south of the DL. He apparently has two restaurants planned for the space, and Starr Catering is already in there.

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Originally Posted by Londonee View Post
Based on his track record of doing what exactly?

Perhaps less ego-based photo shoots and more in the way of action. North Broad is still an absolute shit show.
Are you going to conveniently ignore his three major developments on N. Broad? 600, 640, and the Studebaker building, all of which have tenants and brought a lot of life to the area? N. Broad is light years better than what it used to be. He's got three in the bag, has begun the Mural Arts Building project.
     
     
  #2428  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2015, 5:11 PM
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I think the lighting of Market East will be a good thing, overall, for development efforts. But I don't like this. I think this detracts from a beautiful iconic building. Lit Brothers s a gem. A shame.
     
     
  #2429  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2015, 7:50 PM
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I think this detracts from a beautiful iconic building. Lit Brothers s a gem. A shame.
While I agree...I was also fearing something far tackier. So...I am a little relieved. A little.
     
     
  #2430  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2015, 10:01 PM
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  #2431  
Old Posted Jan 9, 2015, 10:06 PM
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Don't let the terrible typefaces on the test screen fool you, this will look really good.
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  #2432  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2015, 12:03 AM
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Originally Posted by AbortedWalrus View Post
Are you going to conveniently ignore his three major developments on N. Broad? 600, 640, and the Studebaker building, all of which have tenants and brought a lot of life to the area? N. Broad is light years better than what it used to be. He's got three in the bag, has begun the Mural Arts Building project.
Stop. His largest project, 640, opened a decade ago. Quite a pace.
     
     
  #2433  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2015, 12:40 AM
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I think the Rodin apt bldg is a completely fine background building. As long as it uses decent materials (no dryvit, preferably no clunky precast concrete), it will be unnoticeable and fine. It will add to the street wall and neighborhood density. No problems in my opinion.

The Lit Bros lighting will be great. If not, it's not an irreversible addition. It can be removed some day, just like the original.

For as much as people attack Inga, it seems everyone thinks they are qualified to do the job they say she does badly. Everytime a new proposal is unveiled, there is a chorus here claiming how awful looking and short it is. Then when it starts construction everyone gets excited and forgets all their prior negative criticism. I think of Evo as a typical example of this.

I agree with Londonee that Blumenfeld is almost all talk. I've been reading so much about his visions, just start something already, blowhard.

Pearl Properties . . . now they are impressive. They do what they say, they do it fast, and they do it well. I think they are the best small/midsized developer in the City (in a cohort including Blatstein, Blumenfeld, Goldenberg). Brickstone is great too, but they are in a bigger class I think.
     
     
  #2434  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2015, 2:21 AM
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The purpose of the Lit Bros lighting/signage is not to look good. Neither was its original signage. It won't and it didn't. Agreed on the remainder of the post.

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Originally Posted by Cro Burnham View Post
I think the Rodin apt bldg is a completely fine background building. As long as it uses decent materials (no dryvit, preferably no clunky precast concrete), it will be unnoticeable and fine. It will add to the street wall and neighborhood density. No problems in my opinion.

The Lit Bros lighting will be great. If not, it's not an irreversible addition. It can be removed some day, just like the original.

For as much as people attack Inga, it seems everyone thinks they are qualified to do the job they say she does badly. Everytime a new proposal is unveiled, there is a chorus here claiming how awful looking and short it is. Then when it starts construction everyone gets excited and forgets all their prior negative criticism. I think of Evo as a typical example of this.

I agree with Londonee that Blumenfeld is almost all talk. I've been reading so much about his visions, just start something already, blowhard.

Pearl Properties . . . now they are impressive. They do what they say, they do it fast, and they do it well. I think they are the best small/midsized developer in the City (in a cohort including Blatstein, Blumenfeld, Goldenberg). Brickstone is great too, but they are in a bigger class I think.
     
     
  #2435  
Old Posted Jan 10, 2015, 3:38 PM
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Heads up on a historical reuse project on the Camden waterfront whose final site plan got approved at a planning board meeting on Thursday. Point 3 is particularly tantalizing to me.

http://southjerseyist.wordpress.com/...en-waterfront/

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  #2436  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2015, 7:51 AM
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Originally Posted by jsbrook View Post
The purpose of the Lit Bros lighting/signage is not to look good.
Agreed. It is to attract attention and add some liveliness to a dead zone of Market Street, which I think is important here. I think the lighting is perfectly appropriate for a commercial district, regardless of whether the building is historic or modern. The setting and the building's intended use are what is important.

In other words, such lighting would be inappropriate on the Parthenon, Notre Dame, or the Barnes, but for an old merchantile building on a commercial street it will add liveliness and animation in a place that really needs it. Lits was never intended to be a somber ivory mausoleum memorializing a sacred past.
     
     
  #2437  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2015, 8:51 AM
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^ very well said cro. And the photo above is only a test screen with diff fonts, once it's fully lit it should brighten the whole area
     
     
  #2438  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2015, 11:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Cro Burnham View Post
Agreed. It is to attract attention and add some liveliness to a dead zone of Market Street, which I think is important here. I think the lighting is perfectly appropriate for a commercial district, regardless of whether the building is historic or modern. The setting and the building's intended use are what is important.

In other words, such lighting would be inappropriate on the Parthenon, Notre Dame, or the Barnes, but for an old merchantile building on a commercial street it will add liveliness and animation in a place that really needs it. Lits was never intended to be a somber ivory mausoleum memorializing a sacred past.
That's all well and good. I agree. Let's just make sure we call a spade a spade. In my opinion, this type of advertising affixed to a Renaissance revival building can never actually look good or complement the building. But there is a place and time for everything. I think the lighting and large-format signs should be confined to a discrete set of blocks on and around Market Street. Let it be the "Times Square" of Philly. Or whatever they want to call it. The pros (at least for the CURRENT location) outweigh the cons.

At present, the implementing legislation allows for such large-format signs and lighting only in the "Market Street East Advertising District," which is defined as Market Street from 7th and 13th Streets, between Filbert and Ludlow Street. Perfect where it is and far more important to create a bustling East Market district that is appropriate for the 21st century (particularly given the state the area is in now) than completely preserve the aesthetic qualities of one solitary building. But I would not see it expand to other Center City areas. At least not now.
     
     
  #2439  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2015, 11:17 AM
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While I agree...I was also fearing something far tackier. So...I am a little relieved. A little.
Could certainly look worse.
     
     
  #2440  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2015, 11:28 AM
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Interesting...I hope Point 3 involves a relocation of jobs from Cherry Hill, Voorhees, or the 3M and does NOT stem from the poaching of a Philadelphia company...

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Originally Posted by josef View Post
Heads up on a historical reuse project on the Camden waterfront whose final site plan got approved at a planning board meeting on Thursday. Point 3 is particularly tantalizing to me.

http://southjerseyist.wordpress.com/...en-waterfront/

     
     
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