Quote:
Originally Posted by skyhigh07
The buildings are within the Rittenhouse Historic District. The Historical Commission is requiring the existing facades to be laser scanned and rebuilt using salvaged materials within one year.
Some kind of overbuild may ultimately be built behind them but if all goes to plan, we should be seeing them again within a year after demo.
Also, I don't think its the city's fault per se. The initial plans were to keep the facades intact while rebuilding the interiors. However, last fall the City found the facades to be unstable and stated they must be taken down due to safety concerns. Not entirely sure what the owners' intentions are, but they seem to be dragging their feet...
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It's not the city's fault for what happened, but these buildings have been sitting (rotting) for 9 months now with no bracing. The city should have immediately braced the front facades of the buildings, that was very much possible in June.
I remember when a famous church burned to a crisp in Manhattan (I forget the name, still under repair in Flat Iron), the city stepped in and braced the exterior walls and the inside was basically a shell. If that church were in Philadelphia, it would have stood rotting for 6 months, and then ultimately be torn down...That's my issue with the city.
But if these buildings are in fact replicated (an overbuild would be nice too), then its fine in the end.