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  #41  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2014, 10:03 PM
apetrella802 apetrella802 is offline
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"awful architecture"???

The Mormon temple and the 32 story apt building next door are not anywhere near awful. The temple is problematic I think because whenever you take a traditional form like a New England white clapboard church and blow up the proportions on a much larger scale it can seem cartoonish or naïve. But it will be sheaved in polished pure white granite and the form is based on a tradition of colonial churches over 300 years.

The apt building is not inspired but I think its handsome, rising as a slender tower with some setbacks and other elements that accent the vertical.
     
     
  #42  
Old Posted Feb 24, 2014, 10:47 PM
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The only thing I don't like about this is the meeting house. I don't really understand the faux colonial meeting house with the faux art-deco tower. Then all of that next to the traditional marble temple just looks very confusing.
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  #43  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2014, 12:10 AM
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Originally Posted by Parkway View Post
The only thing I don't like about this is the meeting house. I don't really understand the faux colonial meeting house with the faux art-deco tower. Then all of that next to the traditional marble temple just looks very confusing.
My guess is that the intent is to make these three buildings look as if they are unrelated, built independently at various points over a long period of time. In other words, to convey the impression that these two blocks developed organically over time, and not as part of a recent, unified development. With that goal, the eclecticism of the architecture makes sense, it seems to me.
     
     
  #44  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2014, 4:44 PM
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i really dig philly fan's interpretation. thats what i had in mind as well.
     
     
  #45  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2014, 6:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Philly Fan View Post
My guess is that the intent is to make these three buildings look as if they are unrelated, built independently at various points over a long period of time. In other words, to convey the impression that these two blocks developed organically over time, and not as part of a recent, unified development. With that goal, the eclecticism of the architecture makes sense, it seems to me.
Yeah, this is what basically blows a hole in Inga's complaint that the styles are a hodgepodge. You basically walk down any block in center city (any interesting block at any rate) and you'll see buildings from different historical periods and of vastly different architectural styles sitting shoulder to shoulder. I personally think it adds vibrancy to the city scape and have no problem with it.
     
     
  #46  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2014, 6:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Insoluble View Post
Yeah, this is what basically blows a hole in Inga's complaint that the styles are a hodgepodge. You basically walk down any block in center city (any interesting block at any rate) and you'll see buildings from different historical periods and of vastly different architectural styles sitting shoulder to shoulder. I personally think it adds vibrancy to the city scape and have no problem with it.
One could even argue that these three buildings draw inspiration from three different centuries of Philadelphia architecture (18th--meeting house, 19th--temple, and 20th--residential tower), with the scale, design, and materials of each building being appropriate for the century that inspired it. At least that's how I see it (although maybe I've now jumped the shark on this and should have quit while I was ahead ).
     
     
  #47  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2014, 8:22 PM
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no, i think thats exactly right. plus, inga herself basically said that if you're going to do it, the mormon way is the right way, i.e. pay the premium for authentic construction materials.

on another note, i also love the residential tower, and noticed that in shape and setbacks it resembles the Bell Atlantic Tower, and also relates to Logan Circle at almost the exact same distance and angle as BAT, just rotated 90 degrees. i don't know if I'm explaining myself well. if you look out from the center of the circle facing south, turn left(east) a block and right(south) two blocks, you arrive at Bell Atlantic which faces north. now do the same thing but start in the center facing east, turn left(north) a block and right (east) two blocks, and you arrive at the Mormon residential tower which faces west. its like a small complementary version of BAT.
     
     
  #48  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2014, 9:11 PM
Baconboy007 Baconboy007 is offline
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Originally Posted by duffey View Post
i don't know if I'm explaining myself well. if you look out from the center of the circle facing south, turn left(east) a block and right(south) two blocks, you arrive at Bell Atlantic which faces north. now do the same thing but start in the center facing east, turn left(north) a block and right (east) two blocks, and you arrive at the Mormon residential tower which faces west. its like a small complementary version of BAT.
You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about.
     
     
  #49  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2014, 9:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Baconboy007 View Post
You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about.
EXACTLY!! at least baconboy understands me...
     
     
  #50  
Old Posted Feb 25, 2014, 11:24 PM
apetrella802 apetrella802 is offline
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thank goodness for "hodgepodge"

One of the most dramatic and interesting things about Philadelphia's architecture is that what Inga calls "hodgepodge" I would call "encyclopedic and kaleidoscopic". This reflects, of course, the 3+ centuries of Philadelphia's history as a large city(by the standards of the time), its importance as the center of government in the 18th c, its importance as "The Workshop of the World" in the 19th and early 20th c., as well as its current early 21st c. revival.
     
     
  #51  
Old Posted May 22, 2014, 4:11 PM
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They definitely drilled for soil samples one of these past few days
     
     
  #52  
Old Posted Jun 4, 2014, 2:40 PM
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So I see that the Mormon Church is being built now... makes sense, Church (place of worship build first), then the tower. My work buddy is still currently parking in the lot that will be the tower. He said no one - including the parking people know when they will be moved out. (in fact, the parking employees didnt even know about the tower until people parking there told them about it -- haha).

Any idea when the parking lot gets fenced off like 18th and Arch just did???
     
     
  #53  
Old Posted Jul 24, 2014, 2:48 PM
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CDR Submission!

Looks like the official height is 32 floors and 370 feet. Great height for the area.

Also some new juicy renderings in here:
http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/pr...%20Package.pdf
     
     
  #54  
Old Posted Jul 24, 2014, 3:38 PM
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Ground breaking date

Hey this report shows a date of August 5th 2014, is that when they are supposed to break ground on this?
     
     
  #55  
Old Posted Jul 24, 2014, 3:39 PM
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Hey this report shows a date of August 5th 2014, is that when they are supposed to break ground on this?
Wouldn't that be when the CDR hearing is scheduled?
     
     
  #56  
Old Posted Jul 24, 2014, 3:41 PM
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Wouldn't that be when the CDR hearing is scheduled?
Oh...
     
     
  #57  
Old Posted Jul 24, 2014, 3:42 PM
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Oh...
Hey, you're distracted by wedding planning.

When is that, by the way?
     
     
  #58  
Old Posted Jul 24, 2014, 4:07 PM
Baconboy007 Baconboy007 is offline
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Hey, you're distracted by wedding planning.

When is that, by the way?
Planning is a slow train coming. We are set on venue, Union Trust, but finding a church is proving to be difficult because of my sinner ways. Doesn't help that we picked the date based on what hit on the roulette table. Next August so I have time to repent.
     
     
  #59  
Old Posted Jul 26, 2014, 4:35 AM
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A seriously classy building....

The Mormon Church’s planned apartment tower and small meetinghouse on Vine Street is about to go through the city’s Civic Design Review process—which means we get a bunch of new project renderings, plans, and specifications.

The project will fill the block-long vacant lot on the north side of Vine Street between Franklin Town Boulevard and 16th Street, right across from the site of the still-under-construction Mormon temple. It’ll include a new access road through the middle of the site between the two buildings.

The tower will rise 32 stories and 360 feet, and will house 264 apartments, 13 town homes, and plenty of residential amenities including a large outdoor terrace, wraparound retail space, and two levels of underground parking. Portions will have green roofs.

Renderings courtesy of the Mormon Church.





     
     
  #60  
Old Posted Jul 28, 2014, 12:25 AM
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In retrospect, I think it's a good thing that none of the previous 1601 Vine proposals ever went through, since this looks much better than any of those.

The one thing that really confuses me though, is why the south side of the residential tower's podium is wrapped with townhouses. Generally, I think it's a great idea in terms of creating a nicely-scaled streetscape, but I can't imagine that many people would want their front door to face the Vine St Expressway.
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