PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[theWatusi]

What's it looking like from Broad St these days?

[DocAwesome]

Last I heard their funding was so-so - they had some money and matching grants lined up but not enough to solidify the deal. The bigger issue currently would be politics - opening up an expanded CC library so shortly after demanding others be closed.

[bucks native]

source: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local...shed_back.html

Fri, Dec. 25, 2009

Opening of President's House pushed back

By Carolyn Davis
Inquirer Staff Writer

The opening of the President's House on Independence Mall will be pushed back to next fall, to allow further revision of interpretive materials so that they better portray the place of slavery in the nation's early days.

"We wanted to take a step back and figure out a more compelling way to tell this complex story," McPherson said yesterday.

The site's explanatory displays have been the grist of controversy over how to balance describing the home of Presidents George Washington and John Adams, the little-known stories of the nine slaves who toiled there, and the reality that few Americans even knew that there had been slaves in the nation's first executive mansion until the site was excavated in recent years.

"I don't really see it as a postponement, I see it as an extension," said attorney and Oversight Committee member Michael Coard. "We want to get this thing right."

The added time will be used to create full, multimedia biographies of the nine slaves. By telling their stories through written words and in video dramatizations, the nine will become "the sentient human beings they are supposed to be," Coard said.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact staff writer Carolyn Davis at 215-854-4214 or cdavis@phillynews.com.

[pwp]

Originally Posted by DocAwesome

Last I heard their funding was so-so - they had some money and matching grants lined up but not enough to solidify the deal. The bigger issue currently would be politics - opening up an expanded CC library so shortly after demanding others be closed.

Someone somewhat familiar with the project said that it's most likely a done deal but for political reasons could not get started until local issues (closing of other libraries/city budget) are resolved.

I hope this person knows what they are talking about

[hammersklavier]

They've been working on this expansion since well before 2007 (which is when I first got wind of it) so I would imagine that once they are monetarily prepared and the politics clear up they'll start working on it.

[Swinefeld]

Here's a view from Arch Street looking east.


Broad Street looking south.

[Don098]

This will have a green roof in the next 40 years.

[sharkfood]

Any updates? Is the site being worked on?

[volguus zildrohar]

The excavation seems nearly complete. They've dug down a good 15-20 feet over a sizeable chunk of the site.

[hammersklavier]

The more I hear the less I'm thrilled about this Barnes.

Why the eff did they cut down the nice shady trees? How the eff aren't they breaking zoning regulations doing that? Isn't this area supposed to be "parkland"?

[thenbagis]

hammer-

I have mixed feelings on this...

- The trees are tall and beautiful...

- I think there is a fairly agreed goal of bringing more pedestrians to the parkway and without bringing museum fronts, etc to the sidewalk, it's tough to do that.

[pwp]

There's a new movie coming out called The Art of Steal which is about the "largest art heist in American history" which they describe as the Barnes relocation to downtown Philadelphia. Check out http://trailers.apple.com

Looks so so IMO.

[Ninjawho]

I'm pretty sure they can cut down the trees since they're planting a good many more. Sad? Yes, but eventually it will be more green than before.

While I too have been kinda let down by the design, I'm pretty hyped about the Barnes coming to the Parkway. I'm speaking as a painter when I say this is a BIG deal. Most of us on here are design and architectural buffs. Me too. And the design is kinda lame. But as a Fine Artist I'm tell'n ya this really adds a whole nother layer to the cultural fabric of the city.

Yea, its sad the trees got cut down and the building isn't as iconic as the Guggenheim. But this is such a blessing to the city, words can't begin to explain...

Trust me.

[hammersklavier]

Don't forget, I'm a photographer, writer, and general aesthete, and I'm thrilled when photography exhibits appear in art museums...and I'm not opposed to the Barnes coming to the parkway. I think the design's principles are neat and speak to both the traditional architecure and the future Safdie Free Library extension brilliantly--but the devil is in the details, isn't it? And in this case, the details are primarily the horrendous placement of the structure on the site (particularly the fact that it faces backwards, away from the locus of activity (i.e., the Parkway), that they did not find a way to incorporate the site's pre-existing verdanture into the gardens' final plan--which could have been easily done--and a nice amenity for the gardens would definitely be a small café somewhere in them close enough to be seen from the street: this would draw passers-by into the gardens and thence into the museum itself. IMO.

[Don098]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

Don't forget, I'm a photographer, writer, and general aesthete, and I'm thrilled when photography exhibits appear in art museums...and I'm not opposed to the Barnes coming to the parkway. I think the design's principles are neat and speak to both the traditional architecure and the future Safdie Free Library extension brilliantly--but the devil is in the details, isn't it? And in this case, the details are primarily the horrendous placement of the structure on the site (particularly the fact that it faces backwards, away from the locus of activity (i.e., the Parkway), that they did not find a way to incorporate the site's pre-existing verdanture into the gardens' final plan--which could have been easily done--and a nice amenity for the gardens would definitely be a small café somewhere in them close enough to be seen from the street: this would draw passers-by into the gardens and thence into the museum itself. IMO.

What did you guys think of Inga's article? It made me feel a little better about the museum's staging and design.

[hammersklavier]

Let's soothe some nerves here (particularly mine).

The English Poplars along the Parkway itself were not cut down at all. They're still around.

The ones that were, were the ones along 21st street, at the construction entrance. This also happens to be the side where the museum will be closest to the curb line and thus where the trees had to be cut down in any case. Previous posts here implied that all of the English Poplars on the site were cut down; these posts are misleading.

Also, façade sections are up near the Parkway/21st corner. The exterior will look real legit.

How do I know? Because I went by there this afternoon and took pictures. A lot of pictures. They'll be up when I upload them.

[BUILDER5000]

[

[hammersklavier]

That Arch Street façade looks like it's going to be monolithic, seamless.

[hammersklavier]

Okay, now that I got them up, construction photos for the Barnes Museum. It is most certainly "site prep" right now.
















The pit is deep enough to completely swallow a cement truck! I tried to get the best photos I could--but I couldn't get any closer because of the chain link.




And let's not forget the neighbors!

[hammersklavier]

Okay, I took a walk up the Parkway this afternoon, snapping pictures as I went.

First up: the Barnes!
















Other parts of the Parkway:




















The silt island that should be redeveloped per the Art Museum's master grounds plan:






Gehry's new parking garage!






















[/exceedingly long photo post]