PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread II

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

A lot of slop going up in those photos. Great shots regardless Tony.

...Particularly in Chinatown. You'd think with all the horse-$hit they're stirring up about 76 Place, they'd be building the Plaza Hotel over there.

[bdurk]

Originally Posted by aprice1828

Expectation vs reality on that Broad & Ridge flatiron building is kinda disappointing right now. The paint looked better when we walked by yesterday but not by much. Hopefully some fancy light fixtures might dress it up. My friends just said it looks too flat. With the lack of trim around the windows, I agree. Also the cornice between the 2nd and 3rd floors was more pronounced in the renderings, which would have helped.

I agree. It's great for the area and 100% better than what was there, but the siding really disappointed me I was hoping we'd get some cool blue stucco or brick or idk some other nice material but I think the siding looks a little tacky. Nonetheless it's a good project and I hope something cool goes in the ground floor!

Also, what's the story with Kenney being a drunk? I always see people say that but don't know why lol.

[El Duderino]

Originally Posted by Redddog

That wouldn't surprise me. I haven't seen him around Old City where he lives/lived. And I would have thought that given the amount he was out and about (hammered) when he WAS is office would have ensured he was gonna kill it when out of office.

He's so unpopular in this town, I'm sure he thought that he needed to bolt if he wanted to do his thing out in public. I know his mother lived in Jersey so I would think that would have factored into the decision to go that far away.

He wasn't a nice guy. Kind of a d!ck when you saw him out.

i saw him about a week ago walking solo in Old City, so he's still out there.

[BroadandMarket]

"A wedding venue is expected to replace the nearly vacant food hall that currently occupies the first floor of the 10-story Bourse, according to the sources. Above the venue, several floors of the 129-year-old building would be converted into a hotel with some office space remaining in the upper floors."

Although it's nice it'll be used for something, this is a shame in general that it won't be a food hall. The timing with covid was terrible for their renovations and they had no tourists or workers getting lunch there. They focused entirely on lunch and everything slowly closed in there. I often wonder what could have been if they had a bar/restaurant in there with a couple of things open late. In Europe you see tons of markets like that. It's a such a beautiful interior.

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...rket-sale.html

https://archive.is/fB2VA

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

"A wedding venue is expected to replace the nearly vacant food hall that currently occupies the first floor of the 10-story Bourse, according to the sources. Above the venue, several floors of the 129-year-old building would be converted into a hotel with some office space remaining in the upper floors."

Although it's nice it'll be used for something, this is a shame in general that it won't be a food hall. The timing with covid was terrible for their renovations and they had no tourists or workers getting lunch there. They focused entirely on lunch and everything slowly closed in there. I often wonder what could have been if they had a bar/restaurant in there with a couple of things open late. In Europe you see tons of markets like that. It's a such a beautiful interior.

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...rket-sale.html

https://archive.is/fB2VA

It also doesn't help that the entrance is completely closed off to Independence Park, tourists can easily miss it when wandering through the park. https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9498...5410&entry=ttu

Another trendy hotel would be cool in this area, a better option than apartments (IMO).

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by bdurk

I agree. It's great for the area and 100% better than what was there, but the siding really disappointed me I was hoping we'd get some cool blue stucco or brick or idk some other nice material but I think the siding looks a little tacky. Nonetheless it's a good project and I hope something cool goes in the ground floor!

Also, what's the story with Kenney being a drunk? I always see people say that but don't know why lol.

Because he's a huge drinker and often seen out in the wild drunk. I have a few stories. Lol.

[DeltaNerd]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

It also doesn't help that the entrance is completely closed off to Independence Park, tourists can easily miss it when wandering through the park. https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9498...5410&entry=ttu

Another trendy hotel would be cool in this area, a better option than apartments (IMO).

I heavily agree with this.
Open up the park more with stairs or tearing down the walls. It's a sad park

Someone wrote a opinion piece on this stating the park is underfunded and will not be prepared for 2026.
https://www.inquirer.com/columnists/...-20240607.html

[Londonee]

Hot take from Tony’s photo dump:

The Roundhouse is an awesome architectural gem.

[EastSideHBG]

Smaller project, but still a nice one:

Friends of the Wissahickon announced that construction began on its much-anticipated Valley Green Run Restoration and Pedestrian Bridge Project on Tuesday, May 28.

The $3 million restoration project will be completed in two phases.

The first phase will reconstruct the Valley Green Run streambank and streambed to address years of worsening storm-induced erosion that led to the collapse of the footbridge in 2014.

The second phase will build a new pedestrian bridge to allow pedestrians to safely enter this popular area of Wissahickon Valley Park.

An observation platform along the 200-foot extended walkway will offer visitors expansive views of the park’s schist outcroppings and the historic Valley Green Bridge.
https://www.timesherald.com/2024/06/...strian-bridge/

[gjrip]

Originally Posted by EastSideHBG

Smaller project, but still a nice one:

Friends of the Wissahickon announced that construction began on its much-anticipated Valley Green Run Restoration and Pedestrian Bridge Project on Tuesday, May 28.

The $3 million restoration project will be completed in two phases.

The first phase will reconstruct the Valley Green Run streambank and streambed to address years of worsening storm-induced erosion that led to the collapse of the footbridge in 2014.

The second phase will build a new pedestrian bridge to allow pedestrians to safely enter this popular area of Wissahickon Valley Park.

An observation platform along the 200-foot extended walkway will offer visitors expansive views of the park’s schist outcroppings and the historic Valley Green Bridge.
https://www.timesherald.com/2024/06/...strian-bridge/

Thanks for sharing, I'm so happy to see this!!!

[Gatorade_Jim]

It's a Starbucks indeed!

[skyhigh07]

Delete

[Mr Saturn64]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

"A wedding venue is expected to replace the nearly vacant food hall that currently occupies the first floor of the 10-story Bourse, according to the sources. Above the venue, several floors of the 129-year-old building would be converted into a hotel with some office space remaining in the upper floors."

Although it's nice it'll be used for something, this is a shame in general that it won't be a food hall. The timing with covid was terrible for their renovations and they had no tourists or workers getting lunch there. They focused entirely on lunch and everything slowly closed in there. I often wonder what could have been if they had a bar/restaurant in there with a couple of things open late. In Europe you see tons of markets like that. It's a such a beautiful interior.

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...rket-sale.html

https://archive.is/fB2VA

Even 10 years ago, it was geared towards tourists as it should be. Gift shops, cheap pizza, cheap cheesesteaks, that's all you need. Post renovation, it seemed like it was geared toward the hipster crowd, and it got a lot more expensive. I was in there back in March, it felt post-apocalyptic. Such a shame.

[EastSideHBG]

Not a big surprise in a dense city but some of the comparisons were interesting:


Philly has some of the smallest new apartments in the country

In 2023, Philly ranked in the top 10 cities with the smallest apartments built over the last decade, according to RentCafe. An Inquirer graphic uses a basketball court's 3-point zone for comparison.
https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate...-20240607.html