PHILADELPHIA | 1001 S. Broad Street Phase I | 180 FT | 14 FLOORS

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by Londonee

Does anyone else think its strange that the North West and North East views from this absurd Rooftop Village - the valuable views that showcase the city's skyline - will be fully obscured by the high-rise portion of this project? You'll have a view of a sea of South Philly row homes?

So what are you placing these amenities on the roof for if not for an awesome view? The whole concept just comes off as perfectly arbitrary.

Good point. Ill-considered, if not arbitrary. "Blatstein's Folly" is more flight-of-fancy than inspired vision. Since his every answer to the NIMBY questions was "because of the village," you clearly hit on something that escaped his notice.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

Good point. Ill-considered, if not arbitrary. "Blatstein's Folly" is more flight-of-fancy than inspired vision. Since his every answer to the NIMBY questions was "because of the village," you clearly hit on something that escaped his notice.

If his village is so damn important, why doesn't he just put it on top of the skyscraper like that ridiculous thing is Singapore: then, no blocked light for anyone, and the towers can be slenderer and along Broad and Wash like they should be.


http://assets.worldtop7.com/filemana...ingapore-1.jpg

I really think Blatstein may be losing it. He's got his finger in a half dozen mega projects between Philly and AC, all potentially grotesquely gaudy, and yet he can't seem to get going on any one of them. It's like he can't focus, and in odd moments when he can, he comes up with something so awful and tone-deaf, you have to wonder what state of mind he's in.

[Kumdogmillionaire]

That looks like someone put a barge with palm trees on top of 3 skyscrapers

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

I really think Blatstein may be losing it. He's got his finger in a half dozen mega projects between Philly and AC, all potentially grotesquely gaudy, and yet he can't seem to get going on any one of them. It's like he can't focus, and in odd moments when he can, he comes up with something so awful and tone-deaf, you have to wonder what state of mind he's in.

Seriously. I mean check out this quote.

Anita Toby-Lager, a landscape architect who serves on the CDR Committee, asked how pedestrians would know that there was a Provence-inspired retail mecca four floors above their heads as they walked by the project.

“You’ll know it’s there,” Blatstein said, addressing Toby Lager, “because, first of all, you know it’s there.”

Those who don’t already know it’s there will find out on social media, he said.

What does that even mean?

I bet he closes his eyes and just sees roof top villages.

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by allovertown

I bet he closes his eyes and just sees roof top villages.

[summersm343]

Rendering of view from Washington Ave

[Arch+Eng]

Roof Top Villages!

[cafeguy]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Rendering of view from Washington Ave

you remember his retractable glass ceiling for his first proposed rooftop village on the inquirer building??

[SJPhillyBoy]

Wouldn't you want the Philadelphia skyline view in your roof top village? It is currently blocked by the tall building portion of the project. Wouldn't you want the entrance to your rooftop village on Broad Street so more people would see it?

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by SJPhillyBoy

Wouldn't you want the Philadelphia skyline view in your roof top village? It is currently blocked by the tall building portion of the project. Wouldn't you want the entrance to your rooftop village on Broad Street so more people would see it?

The problem is that the programming here is rather poorly thought out.

An apartment tower's amenity deck can be rooftop. Sterling, Evo, KH, etc all have rooftop amenity decks.

For his "rooftop village" to work as he intends it to, it has to have south face (i.e. isn't permanently shaded by the apartment tower), but most of the rooftop "village's" charm would be -- as you point out -- the skyline view. That's what would make it interesting and different.

We got a preview of that with Le Bok Fin last summer. A restaurant or beer garden with a view would work beautifully. Or perhaps a small synergized cluster.

Then the problem becomes: At Broad and Washington --

The rooftop village wants to be on the south face for sun. But it also wants to be on the north face -- because you're south of the skyline, so you have to look north to see the skyline.

Solution: Drop the rooftop village idea. A two-tower project with a observation deck bar/restaurant/lounge (with skyline views, duh) would net the vast majority of the benefits of height without the problems the current rooftop village idea is running into.

I'd suggest Broad & Girard (the Hotel Majestic site) if you really want to try a "rooftop village". Then the south side has both views and sun, and you don't need to worry about shadowing anything important with the apartment structure.

Of course, Broad & Girard isn't quite there yet when it comes to financing ... One suspects that a major proposal will need to be executed at Broad & Spring Garden or Broad & Fairmount (hey, isn't that the New Yorkers' site?) before Broad & Girard looks viable.

Incidentally, not many teardowns as fundamentally ill-thought-out as this one:

[SPM2856]

Good points all. A bit of history: The base of the Majestic Hotel was the Elkins mansion, across the street from the Widener Mansion at Girard/Broad. Just before they both went out and built their huge mansions in Cheltenham.

[stormkingfan]

1001 S. Broad is enormous for this part of town, yet this would give that apt. tower on S. 4th off Washington, a distant friend.

Also noticed a vacant lot just south of the A&A Foods warehouse. Another big high-rise could go there. Would be just over the way from 1001...

[Kidphilly]

http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...oad-washington


news for across the street

[Flyers2001]

Originally Posted by Kidphilly

http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...oad-washington


news for across the street

Little more info.

http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...ashington.html

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Flyers2001

Little more info.

And a couple more renderings as well here (sorry for the link, I don't know how to post them directly): http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/19679...iladelphia-PA/

[TempleGuy1000]

Does this thread get deleted now since it isn't a high rise? Like the Rodin is a block of gold compared to this turd and it never got a thread.

Edit: I'm an idiot. It's across the street lol kidphilly's comment makes sense now. I thought he lived across the street for a second.

Cool integration of the old building too.

[Knight Hospitaller]

This is just too reasonable and achievable. Why can't we have a cable car to the rooftop village across the street? ;-)

[Arch+Eng]

You guys would rather have that crap box...than a much taller tower with street retail and unique roof top retail and houses??

I just don't understand you guys.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by Arch+Eng

You guys would rather have that crap box...than a much taller tower with street retail and unique roof top retail and houses??

I just don't understand you guys.

No, I'd rather have something that will actually get built and do a decent job of turning prime wasteland into something functional and lively. This other project is "meh," but it is more likely to be built than Blatstein's "unique" vision, which seems to be a solution in search of a problem.

[Williard Mouse]

Originally Posted by Kidphilly

http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...oad-washington


news for across the street

http://www.wrtdesign.com/projects/de...ndominiums/254


Looks like this proposal will not happen.