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  #101  
Old Posted Feb 23, 2010, 3:19 AM
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I don't really like the aesthetics of it as much as I hoped I would: it seems kind of cheap in the altogether. My photography flatters it.

But at the same time, the fact that it's the first new Broad Street building outside Center City in years to respect the importance of Broad as a grand avenue in addition to a major thoroughfare earns my respect, as a planner. And like I said, I wonder if the two renovations along the 500 and 600 blocks of Broad are related to (anticipating) this going up?

This stretch of Broad should serve as a major commercial corridor knitting G-Ho and Hawthorne together. And I think 777 will be a minor catalyst to do just that. (A more major catalyst needs to go up at the corner of Broad and Washington--both streets should be important avenues; yet both are absurdly distressed given their relative importance.)
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  #102  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2010, 4:05 AM
phillyaggie phillyaggie is offline
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Originally Posted by Aaamazarite View Post
Thanks for the pics.

Didn't I hear that Gamble bought the empty corner lot next to the popeye's to be a surface lot for Gamble and Huff employees? If so, what a waste of a perfectly good space around there.
yes. There was some notice on the site because for them to turn it into a lot, they would have to repave it and do a few other things I suppose. After that notice was seen by someone on PS forum, there was some big thread started to try and organize the area's residents against such a use of that parcel of land. I believe user "five apples" was a contact for that, but I could be wrong.
     
     
  #103  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2010, 4:26 AM
phillyaggie phillyaggie is offline
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Originally Posted by hammersklavier View Post

This stretch of Broad should serve as a major commercial corridor knitting G-Ho and Hawthorne together. And I think 777 will be a minor catalyst to do just that. (A more major catalyst needs to go up at the corner of Broad and Washington--both streets should be important avenues; yet both are absurdly distressed given their relative importance.)

hammer, always enjoy gawking at all your pics around the city, since i can't see the place myself, obviously. so thanks!

as for Broad & Washington: not sure whether you were active at that time or not, but a couple years ago, there was a huge thread on PhillyBlog regarding a proposal for the Southeast corner of Broad and Washington. The proposal was for a tall tower of mixed-use development, with the street level use being that related to the performing arts. There were some pictorials of a public plaza that could serve as an outdoor theater or just a meeting place. I don't recall all the details, but I do recall a lot of people being upset about this project for its height and how it would ruin the neighborhood (Hawthorne, I guess?).

There was big talk about the fact that the BSL has a station right there at Broad & Washington, so it would be a perfect location for a high-density mixed use development (A TOD concept, almost). There was also a lot of talk about turning Broad & Washington into some sort of a grand entrance with signage and proper development heft that would essentially proclaim a welcome for visitors not only to the Avenue of the Arts but to central Philadelphia city itself...especially if visitors use Broad St exit from I-95 (coming from the airport)...I know I always have taken that route into town.

I think it was championed by Dranoff? Or was it Rimas? May be not.

Anyways, google searching helps.
In fact, here is the WRT design page for the project:

http://www.wrtdesign.com/projects/de...Condominiums/4

I guess at this point, it is essentially dead and buried.


From back in 2007, the NYT did a piece on the Ave of the Arts that sang praises of all the projects along S. Broad. It has this tidbit on Broad & Washington:


Quote:
And the City Council recently approved a major mixed-use project at the southern gateway of the Avenue of the Arts at Broad and Washington; it is to have 860 rentals and condominiums, 30 to 50 stores, and 1,500 parking spaces on about 5.5 acres.

In the not-too-distant future, the developer of Symphony House, Carl E. Dranoff, and a Philadelphia soul music pioneer, Ken Gamble, will announce details of the National Center for Rhythm and Blues, a $250 million 60,000-square-foot museum of Philadelphia’s musical heritage; the project includes studios, offices and retail spaces made financially feasible by two high-rise residential towers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/re.../17philly.html


Suffice it to say that the Ave of the Arts still has long ways to go to fulfill all the potential and possibilities for all that's good about it.


and lastly, this, from tail end of the NYT article, still rings true:


Quote:
“What’s really making the region work is that it’s considerably cheaper than New York and Washington,” Joel Kotkin, author of “The City: A Global History,” said. “Arts districts are nice, but the key question is, Will cities begin to focus on families and keeping the middle class?”

Nutter, are you listening??
     
     
  #104  
Old Posted Feb 26, 2010, 6:39 PM
dr_gingivitis dr_gingivitis is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phillyaggie View Post
yes. There was some notice on the site because for them to turn it into a lot, they would have to repave it and do a few other things I suppose. After that notice was seen by someone on PS forum, there was some big thread started to try and organize the area's residents against such a use of that parcel of land. I believe user "five apples" was a contact for that, but I could be wrong.
That was me, but it's the lot on the corner of Broad and Christian, between the Rite Aid and the McDonnalds. The lot at Broad and Fitzwater acroos from 777 is/was owned by Joe Williams, developer of the luxury Artisan Townhomes at Broad and Bainbridge. He was planning a residental tower for University of the Arts with first floor commercial, but since that time he put it on the market, not sure what the current status of that lot is.

The parking lot at Broad and Christian is on hold due to an issue with the billboard on the site.
     
     
  #105  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2010, 1:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phillyaggie View Post
hammer, always enjoy gawking at all your pics around the city, since i can't see the place myself, obviously. so thanks!

as for Broad & Washington: not sure whether you were active at that time or not, but a couple years ago, there was a huge thread on PhillyBlog regarding a proposal for the Southeast corner of Broad and Washington. The proposal was for a tall tower of mixed-use development, with the street level use being that related to the performing arts. There were some pictorials of a public plaza that could serve as an outdoor theater or just a meeting place. I don't recall all the details, but I do recall a lot of people being upset about this project for its height and how it would ruin the neighborhood (Hawthorne, I guess?).

There was big talk about the fact that the BSL has a station right there at Broad & Washington, so it would be a perfect location for a high-density mixed use development (A TOD concept, almost). There was also a lot of talk about turning Broad & Washington into some sort of a grand entrance with signage and proper development heft that would essentially proclaim a welcome for visitors not only to the Avenue of the Arts but to central Philadelphia city itself...especially if visitors use Broad St exit from I-95 (coming from the airport)...I know I always have taken that route into town.

I think it was championed by Dranoff? Or was it Rimas? May be not.

Anyways, google searching helps.
In fact, here is the WRT design page for the project:

http://www.wrtdesign.com/projects/de...Condominiums/4

I guess at this point, it is essentially dead and buried.


From back in 2007, the NYT did a piece on the Ave of the Arts that sang praises of all the projects along S. Broad. It has this tidbit on Broad & Washington:




http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/re.../17philly.html


Suffice it to say that the Ave of the Arts still has long ways to go to fulfill all the potential and possibilities for all that's good about it.


and lastly, this, from tail end of the NYT article, still rings true:





Nutter, are you listening??
This is the thread you'll want to be checking out, Aggie.

Where the AA is in the traditional CBD it thrives; once it leaves it becomes suburban-esque real fast. To say more development like 777 South Broad is needed is, quite simply, an understatement.
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  #106  
Old Posted Mar 2, 2010, 7:35 PM
phillyaggie phillyaggie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hammersklavier View Post
This is the thread you'll want to be checking out, Aggie.

Where the AA is in the traditional CBD it thrives; once it leaves it becomes suburban-esque real fast. To say more development like 777 South Broad is needed is, quite simply, an understatement.
ah, thanks for the pointer!
     
     
  #107  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2010, 10:16 PM
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The final product

Had to see the building for myself after its completion. The design is just okay, and as others have mentioned, a bit out of place in Philadelphia, but it's certainly not as cheap-looking as the awful Symphony House. I will give Dranoff credit for taking such a huge bet on the neighborhood, which really has a long way to go.







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  #108  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2010, 11:14 PM
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It looks great. Certainly a huge improvement over what was there before.
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  #109  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2010, 12:09 AM
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I think it looks good. Sort of a blend of Miami Beach art deco and Philly brick. I actually would've liked to have seen it a bit taller.
     
     
  #110  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2010, 1:04 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by theWatusi View Post
It looks great. Certainly a huge improvement over what was there before.
It's not hard hard to improve on a grass lot and burned out buildings. However it did come out pretty well and will definatly be an asset to that neighborhood.
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  #111  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2010, 4:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Johnland View Post
I think it looks good. Sort of a blend of Miami Beach art deco and Philly brick.
my thoughts exactly. I like it.
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  #112  
Old Posted Apr 6, 2010, 7:11 PM
phillyfan phillyfan is offline
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Does this project have any retail tenants lined up?
     
     
  #113  
Old Posted Apr 8, 2010, 3:22 AM
phillyaggie phillyaggie is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Muji View Post
Had to see the building for myself after its completion. The design is just okay, and as others have mentioned, a bit out of place in Philadelphia, but it's certainly not as cheap-looking as the awful Symphony House.
This building would not look out of place at all in Dallas' "West Village"/Uptown neighborhood; most new (less than 10 yrs old) development there looks like this, and ground floor retail is all mostly upscale/upmarket. Not sure whether someone in Philly would take that as a compliment though, but it's true...I look at your pics, and I think of Uptown Dallas... which is still really car-driven area but is getting more pedestrian. On Broad near South, this development is certainly very pedestrian friendly.

I'd love to see more such developments happen in Philly, to where they don't feel out of place anymore.

Thanks for all the pics! Looks good.
     
     
  #114  
Old Posted Apr 9, 2010, 3:53 AM
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Its sizing should be a template for proper sizing for any new construction along that stretch of Broad.

And I'll also bet that that stretch of Broad will be a major center for gentrification in the next boom. It's an underdeveloped commercial corridor smack dab between G-Ho and Hawthorne, some of the more nicely gentrified neighborhoods in the city.
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  #115  
Old Posted Sep 21, 2010, 11:59 AM
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Has any retail opened up yet in the CRU bays?
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