PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread - Page 36

palvar · #**701** Posted **Jan 28, 2012, 3:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by aro1419

Is that the property that they were going to tear down after building it since the neighbors disliked it or some other nonsense?

No, that is over in Graduate Hospital.

http://nakedphilly.com/graduate-hosp...embarrassment/

sharkfood · #**702** Posted **Jan 29, 2012, 6:02 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharkfood

Paseo Verde is being built on a parking lot used by PGW employees.

The developer closed on the land and the parking lot has been shut down.

I'm told they will close on financing within a week or two and within 6 months we will see shovels in the ground.

I'm told paseo verde closed on their financing this past week.

The general contractor domus is taking bids from subcontractors.

We should see some action soon.

sharkfood · #**703** Posted **Jan 29, 2012, 8:00 PM**

Quote:

9th street, right across from the Paseo Verde lot. New home on the right, new facade and interior for the home next to it. The two empty lots next to it have been bought by TempleTown Realty. The building next to these empty lots is also currently being revitalized. 6 homes have also been planned for 8th and Norris.

How do you know templetown bought those lots? Those lots are listed as city owned.

Parkway · #**704** Posted **Jan 29, 2012, 8:39 PM**

It was posted on Naked Philly a few weeks back. Ill try to find the article.

sharkfood · #**705** Posted **Jan 29, 2012, 9:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parkway

It was posted on Naked Philly a few weeks back. Ill try to find the article.

I think that was something else. Temple nest at 9th & Norris.

summersm343 · #**706** Posted **Jan 29, 2012, 9:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharkfood

How do you know templetown bought those lots? Those lots are listed as city owned.

I take photos for Templetown from time to time. The city is attempting to sell off all of it's vacant owned land in hope that they will be developed. It is a new bill from Darrell Clarke to try to raise more money for the city instead of raising taxes.

looper121 · #**707** Posted **Jan 30, 2012, 4:01 PM**

Went to the Sixers game Saturday. Philly Live or whatever the hell it is, is tiny, why they had to tear down the Spectrum for that shit box is a mystery. Even if that's the first phase, they have a lot of building to do to fill the void that the Spectrum left...

wally · #**708** Posted **Jan 31, 2012, 7:59 PM**

I just looked at the webcam pics on http://www.rememberthespectrum.com/. This complex isn't worth the I-beams holding it up. It's always the hope that what we build thoughtfully improves upon what was there before, but this? What a big step backwards. While I don't believe that the Spectrum was great architecture, it had its place and had earned respectability though years of use.

Tearing down that arena was the least creative thing that could have been done. Was there ever any thought to turn the arena over to public use? I just spent about 15 minutes looking at old Spectrum photos and have come up with a handful of interesting ways to reuse this structure. Imagine bringing your kid to skate in at the Spectrum before going to see a Fliers game. Pick-up basketball games at the Spectrum anyone? Ring the complex with some retail and integrate it into a larger development. Such a shame.

Some might say that these ideas would have been cost prohibitive for a profit-driven developer. Well, if ever there was a good time for the government to come in and work with a developer to find a good use for the facility, then this was it. The "market" was left to its own devices and now we have to live with the consequences.

palvar · #**709** Posted **Jan 31, 2012, 8:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wally

Well, if ever there was a good time for the government to come in and work with a developer to find a good use for the facility, then this was it. The "market" was left to its own devices and now we have to live with the consequences.

If the city did take ownership of the Spectrum, I doubt much of any interest would be done with it. Most city venues are underused.

Londonee · #**710** Posted **Jan 31, 2012, 8:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by wally

I just looked at the webcam pics on http://www.rememberthespectrum.com/. This complex isn't worth the I-beams holding it up. It's always the hope that what we build thoughtfully improves upon what was there before, but this? What a big step backwards. While I don't believe that the Spectrum was great architecture, it had its place and had earned respectability though years of use.

Tearing down that arena was the least creative thing that could have been done. Was there ever any thought to turn the arena over to public use? I just spent about 15 minutes looking at old Spectrum photos and have come up with a handful of interesting ways to reuse this structure. Imagine bringing your kid to skate in at the Spectrum before going to see a Fliers game. Pick-up basketball games at the Spectrum anyone? Ring the complex with some retail and integrate it into a larger development. Such a shame.

Some might say that these ideas would have been cost prohibitive for a profit-driven developer. Well, if ever there was a good time for the government to come in and work with a developer to find a good use for the facility, then this was it. The "market" was left to its own devices and now we have to live with the consequences.

It actually would have been cool to do the PhillyLive style concept IN the old Spectrum.

I haven't been here, but in Portland they've repurposed an old school (Kennedy School?) into an entertainment venue with a few bars, a theatre. Even some of the old classrooms have been refitted into hotel rooms. This is an awesome, creative reuse of a space...Anyone ever been?
http://www.mcmenamins.com/427-kennedy-school-home
Imagine the old West Philly Highschool re-adapted w/ artists studios, classrooms rented cheaply for dance or theater use, re-use the old auditorium as a performing arts venue, transform the cafeteria into a bar/pub/restaurant...

palvar · #**711** Posted **Jan 31, 2012, 9:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Londonee

I haven't been here, but in Portland they've repurposed an old school (Kennedy School?) into an entertainment venue with a few bars, a theatre. Even some of the old classrooms have been refitted into hotel rooms.

I've been there - it is fantastic. Really beautifully done. Sadly though, I doubt Philadelphians would ever ever let something like this be approved.

wally · #**712** Posted **Jan 31, 2012, 9:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by palvar

I've been there - it is fantastic. Really beautifully done. Sadly though, I doubt Philadelphians would ever ever let something like this be approved.

I think many Philadelphians would love to see something like this happen. There just has to be enough foresight and coordination to do it. Our wealth of older infrastructure is an asset and we have to start treating it as such.

Also, I never said that Philly should have taken over the Spectrum site, but some sort of Public-Private partnership could have worked.

My thought's exactly, Londonee. You don't have to preserve the arena like it is, but you can add retail, open the structure up in certain areas. Keeping the basketball/ice rink area as is though seems to make sense to me. I was imagining that it could be enclosed by a glass structure and you could fit public/commercial spaces around it. If done well, it could have been really great actually.

Pennsgrant · #**713** Posted **Feb 1, 2012, 7:00 PM**

More stuff happening.

Drexel has begun work on their new dormitory on 32nd + Chestnut.

18 stories. 30,000 sq ft of retail. 869 bed dormitory. Wraps around their current student center that sits off of Chestnut.

http://drexelmasterplan.files.wordpr...chestnut-1.jpg

summersm343 · #**714** Posted **Feb 2, 2012, 8:01 PM**

I re-uploaded the pics of the 24 floor Residence Hall at Temple but I'm not going to re-upload all those damn pics again on this thread

screw you photobucket!!

I also created a thread for the new Drexel Dorm

summersm343 · #**715** Posted **Feb 4, 2012, 7:25 AM**

2021 Chestnut Street.

Developer: Aquinas Realty
Construction Start: Spring 2012
Completion: Spring 2013
12 floors
151 feet

The 11 residential stories would contain 110 rental apartments. Ytterberg said the ground floor retail space would include a large space suitable for a restaurant.

http://planphilly.com/aquinas-hopes-...hestnut-street