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  #21  
Old Posted Feb 12, 2009, 11:07 AM
rricci rricci is offline
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Newsletter

From Friends of the Boyd Weekly Update Newsletter

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our six and a half year advocacy campaign persuaded the Philadelphia
community that it is vital that the Boyd Theatre be saved! There was no
opposition to Philadelphia developer Hal Wheeler's plans. The various
permits and variances needed were granted, and no appeals were filed.
Wheeler is working hard to arrange financing, a task not made easier by the
current economy. Friends of the Boyd appreciate Wheeler's efforts.
     
     
  #22  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2009, 3:31 PM
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I really hope this gets built. Thanks to FOB! Onto the future - perhaps FOB can put their resources towards saving another fabulous structure - that really cool Louis Kahn (i think) building on the corner of 13th and Chestnut. 13th Street's transformation has been nothing short of remarkable. But that beautiful building remains a huge question mark as long as it sits empty. I think it was at one time a school?

*Edit* Is it the corner of Chestnut and Juniper?
     
     
  #23  
Old Posted Feb 13, 2009, 3:41 PM
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Do you mean The Hale Building (1887)? It was originally a bank and it was not a Kahn design.

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  #24  
Old Posted Feb 14, 2009, 1:01 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by volguus zildrohar View Post
Do you mean The Hale Building (1887)? It was originally a bank and it was not a Kahn design.

That would be a great place for a KIPP school.
     
     
  #25  
Old Posted Feb 18, 2009, 7:54 PM
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YES! my mistake...i believe it's frank furness. the only thing i'm certain of is that it is a beautiful building!
     
     
  #26  
Old Posted Feb 18, 2009, 8:31 PM
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I couldn't agree more. Something really really really cool needs to go in there.
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  #27  
Old Posted Feb 18, 2009, 10:16 PM
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I couldn't agree more. Something really really really cool needs to go in there.
you mean the valu-plus that destroyed 2 floors of the facade isnt really really cool? lol is this building for sale? everytime i walk past this building i tear up at its current state of disrepair. its right up there with the drake as my favorite buildings in the city. id love to get an apartment in there someday, anyone feels like renovating it?
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  #28  
Old Posted Feb 18, 2009, 11:21 PM
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The Hale Building is truly a great piece of ecclectic architectural design. I love it. Funny that it came up. Not too long ago, I went to Fogo de Chão with a group of friends to have a meat fest (no, I am not gay, it is an all you can eat steak house). When we were done the meal, I was hanging outside the restaurant staring at that building, admiring its beauty and not understanding its base. It was also interesting cause Hugh Douglas was also waiting there for his valeted car. He has a cool pitch black new style Camaro (even though they have not come out yet)
     
     
  #29  
Old Posted Feb 19, 2009, 1:36 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by McBane View Post
YES! my mistake...i believe it's frank furness. the only thing i'm certain of is that it is a beautiful building!
Actually it was designed by Willis Gaylord Hale, a great late 19th/early 20th century architect.

Look how beautiful it once was,


I only hope one day it can be restored to its former state.

Sorry for continuing this tangent but it is a really nice building.
     
     
  #30  
Old Posted Feb 19, 2009, 2:21 AM
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Chestnut & Juniper

Actually, this building has been a subject of discussion in that neighborhood for some time. It's one of the last buildings there that needs to be renovated. At one time that area was a little depressed with many vacant buildings, but fortunately most have been renovated, so this one stands out. But, I'm sure when the national real estate market stops crumbling, someone will buy it and renovate it into something nice.
     
     
  #31  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2009, 11:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Swinefeld View Post
Actually it was designed by Willis Gaylord Hale, a great late 19th/early 20th century architect.

Look how beautiful it once was,


I only hope one day it can be restored to its former state.

Sorry for continuing this tangent but it is a really nice building.
I hope they can bring back the arch once they renovate that beauty.
     
     
  #32  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2009, 9:41 PM
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eh i like the valu plus facade!

obviously just being sarcastic. what a treasure this building is, especially in its original form. i mean what can i say except WOW!
     
     
  #33  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2009, 9:58 PM
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Hale Building

My understanding is that when Goldman first came into town 9 years ago, they wanted to buy that building for their redevelopment portfolio, but the owner - I assume it is the same one who still owns the Valu Plus - refused to sell. Apparently this individual is quite content to let the building waste away while selling schlock out of the first floor. Guess he'll have to wait till the next cycle to refuse another great offer that will never equal his delusional sense that he is sitting on a pot of gold.

It would be great to get an interview with this owner to get a sense of his bizarre internal mental logic. How does this twisted mindset come into existence?
     
     
  #34  
Old Posted Feb 27, 2009, 4:13 PM
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Speculation.... but it could be that the Value Co. holds a long-term lease, on terms that were low because the area was rotten when the lease was signed, and just won't give it up. That happened with a corner drugstore on Canal St., in New Orleans. The owner wanted to sell to the Sheraton (?) next door for an expansion, but the lease holder (100 year lease -it was reported) would not give it up. So, the Sheraton expanded but built OVER AND ABOVE the drugstore.

If that's the case here, the owner could at least improve the interior. Anyone know if it's occupied, otherwise, or is it rotting?

Stunningly beautiful building. Truly a treasure for Philadelphia. A friend of mine has an office on Chestnut, looking west, that looks down on the Lucas Bldg. Its top is just as ornate as its sides and base. I'm always finding small features that I hadn't noticed previously. The architect was a wizard. It must have been great fun to be given the freedom of his or her imagination in designing that building. I dream of living in its top floors....gables, turrets, odd-shaped windows. Never bored.
     
     
  #35  
Old Posted Mar 5, 2009, 5:07 AM
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Uh Oh!

Wasn't the Boyd supposed to close in Feb?! Can't believe the faithful haevn't been all over this. Looks like Feb close date will push on into Mar, Apr, Ma.....
     
     
  #36  
Old Posted Mar 5, 2009, 5:21 AM
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Someone already bid on the furnace building and bought it. Its supposed to be a boutique hotel but wont happen this cycle.
     
     
  #37  
Old Posted Mar 19, 2009, 5:10 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Capsule F View Post
Someone already bid on the furnace building and bought it. Its supposed to be a boutique hotel but wont happen this cycle.
That's encouraging news if true, but as noted up-thread the building at Juniper & Chestnut was designed by a Furness contemporary, Willis G. Hale, who was also the architect of the Lorraine on North Broad. The Hale building was widely ridiculed by critics early on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Lorraine_Hotel

http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org...play.cfm/12393

http://www.urban75.org/photos/philad...elphia-01.html

Quote:
The Hale Building - Juniper and Chestnut

This fabulous Victorian edifice was built in the 1883 by Willis Gaylord Hale, one of the finest architects in Philadelphia in the late 19th century.

Originally born in Seneca, New York, Willis Hale moved to Philadelphia in 1876 and worked on over a hundred buildings in Philadelphia, including the magnificent Divine Lorraine, which now lies vacant on North Broad.

Unfortunately for Hale, tastes changed quickly in nineteenth century Philadelphia. By 1893, Architectural Record had denounced the Hale building as an "architectural aberration" and a "restless jumble". Willis Hale died penniless in 1907.
There's also this book excerpt from "The American Skyscraper, 1850-1940: A Celebration of Height," which erroneously claims it was demolished.

http://books.google.com/books?id=JVz...sult#PPA145,M1

Hale Bio:

http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org...play.cfm/24990
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Last edited by Jayfar; Mar 19, 2009 at 5:27 AM.
     
     
  #38  
Old Posted Mar 19, 2009, 1:36 PM
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I totally love how this thread has totally meandered over to a discussion about a completely different building...
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  #39  
Old Posted Jul 9, 2009, 9:00 PM
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Latest info on this project

http://www.planphilly.com/node/9338

This project is still slowly on track. The website, linked above, also contains a 21 minute video about the Theater.

By Alan Jaffe
For PlanPhilly

Friends and fans of the Boyd Theatre, the faded Art Deco movie palace on Chestnut Street, gathered under the marquee this afternoon to celebrate a double bill of good news:

• The developer who is planning to restore the theater and build an adjacent boutique hotel is “close to the final acquisition” of the property, announced Howard Haas, president of the Friends of the Boyd organization.

• And Philadelphia City Council last month finally passed Councilman Bill Green’s measure that would authorize historic designation for building interiors, a bill motivated by the threat to the Boyd.

According to Haas, developer Hal Wheeler is currently finishing a project on Rittenhouse Square, and will complete the purchase of the Boyd site from concert producer Live Nation “as soon as possible.” Wheeler is “very eager” to begin the Boyd project and is “working hard to assemble funds” to complete the purchase, Haas said.

The renovation itself is expected to take a year to a year and a half. “It took six months to build it; it takes longer to refurbish,” Haas said.

The Friends of the Boyd were hosting a visit Wednesday by about 100 members of the Theatre Historical Society of America, whose 1,000 members can be found throughout the U.S. and Europe. Each summer they gather at a different city to tour its great stages and movie houses.

Haas explained to the society members that Councilman Green had introduced his bill in May 2008 to protect the interiors of landmark buildings. It has slowly made its way through City Hall, and Mayor Nutter is expected to sign it into law. It would require property owners to seek approval from the Philadelphia Historical Commission for altering an interior that has been designated historic. It does not apply to private residences.

The exterior of the Boyd has been protected since last August, when the building was added to the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. But not much remains of its grand façade.

The interior, on the other hand, is waiting for its moment to shine once again.

The Boyd opened Christmas Day, 1928, a movie house masterpiece designed by theater architects Hoffman-Henon, who also built the renowned Mastbaum and Erlanger theaters in Philadelphia. The Boyd was defined by its luxurious, French Art Deco etched glass interior, painted proscenium and murals, ornate ceiling, carpets and chandeliers. “It was one of the first Art Deco movie palaces in the United States,” Haas said.

The theater screened the great films of the 20th century, including Gone With the Wind, The Good Earth and Kitty Foyle. Grace Kelly attended the opening night of High Noon at the Boyd, and more recently Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington walked the theater’s red carpet at the premiere of Philadelphia. The last films to be shown were in 2002.

The reconstruction plan by Martinez + Johnson Architecture will include restoring the theater’s original light fixtures, mirrors, carpets, paint and plaster, in addition to recreating the marquee and ticket booth. “Every fixture will be replicated and restored,” Haas said.

Wheeler plans to build a Klimpton brand hotel on Sansom Street and intends to use the reopened theater for hotel events and entertainment, including a classic film series and movie premieres, according to Haas.

Friends of the Boyd plan a museum within the building, featuring original artifacts such as seats and lights, and a digital organ for silent film screenings. Public tours of the restored theater are also planned.

“This will have a huge economic impact as an anchor of Chestnut Street West,” Haas said.

Karen Colizzi Noonan, president of the Theatre Historical Society, said she had seen the boarded-up interior of the Boyd on a previous visit. “This theater wants to be restored,” she said. “It wants to come back.”
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  #40  
Old Posted Jul 14, 2009, 6:50 AM
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Good.
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