So they're not razing the Dilworth House. And it doesn't even look like a fascadectomy. It just looks like they're building the tower behind it and quietly altering the back to forge the house and the tower together. I fail to see what the hoopla is all about given how much the Dilworth House is being preserved.
The tower's design itself is good. But I personally don't like how the tower and house are so separated. A better example is the
St. James, which also incorporates a Starbucks into the historic townhome at its base. In the developer's efforts to placate NIMBYs, it seems like a lost an opportunity to put something to help energize the Square, like a cafe or restaurant space. Washington Square is not Rittenhouse Square, but why can't it strive for more engagement with the public realm?
Regardless, between the Dilworth's House preservation, the design that minimizes the tower's presence (to a fault), and the modest height, the developers really conceded a lot. I think it's time for the NIMBYs to shut up and move on.