Fairmount / Art Museum : Development News

The Center City District's work on three Center City parks have drawn an IDA Merit Award from the International Downtown Association, a global advocacy group for livable urban centers.

With the help of more than a dozen city and state agencies, foundations and neighborhood groups, CCD made $4.57 million in improvements at Aviator Park and Three Parkway Plaza/Cafe Cret along the Ben Franklin Parkway and Chestnut Park at 17th and Chestnut St.

Aviator Park's new design created a "town green" for gatherings of all sizes. Three Parkway Plaza's renovations included paving, a granite seating wall, benches, plantings of trees and seasonal flowers, pedestrian-scale lights and a 1,200 square foot cafe and information center. Chestnut Park's original gates and concrete tiered fountain were conserved and landscaping was improved.

The award was presented at IDA's annual conference in Charlotte, NC last week.

Source: Linda Harris, Center City District
Writer: Joe Petrucci

Philadelphia’s Zoning Code Commission unveiled a new timeline that they hope will lead to a modernized zoning code during a six-hour public hearing in front of City Council. The public certainly got to weigh in, as 40 different people signed up to testify, split into thirteen panels of three or more people at a time.

The barrage of public comment not withstanding, the Zoning Code Commission (ZCC) announced its strong desire to pass a new zoning code in City Council by the end of the year. Perhaps no one is more eager to see a new zoning code before the year’s end than Eva Gladstein, the Executive Director of the ZCC. Gladstein is cautiously optimistic about the odds of success. "A number of members of City Council expressed their interest in passing a new zoning code before the end of the year, and we believe that while the timeline is tight, it is achievable," says Gladstein.

From the look and sound of the hearing, City Council members and public testifiers -- including community group leaders, developers, and environmentalists -- support most parts of the zoning code update. However, there are a few sticking points among City Council and the public that might impede the ZCC deadline.

Councilman Bill Green, who many believe may run for mayor some time in the next decade, has raised many of the questions and concerns on City Council. He clarified his concerns by releasing a set of 10 amendments that he feels are necessary for the proposed zoning code re-write. At the hearing, Green complained that his office had not received a revisable copy of the zoning code proposal. Both Gladstein and Alan Greenberger, Acting Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and a member of the ZCC, claimed they did send the document. 

One of Green’s concerns is that the proposed zoning code does not adequately restrict potentially harmful industry from going into residential neighborhoods. Some of the community groups present seemed to agree with this, as well as other aspects of Green’s amendments. Another complaint, voiced by the East Falls Community Council, was that there was insufficient, albeit improved, participation from community groups in the re-write.

With this in mind, the politicians and the public seemed ready to proceed with an improved zoning code. Speaker after speaker seemed to delight in commending the ZCC for its hard work in drafting sorely needed zoning reform. Even hesitant City Council members, like Green and Brian O’Neill, acknowledged that the zoning code needed to be modernized. Thus, it's not if, but when the zoning code reform will pass. Many hope it will be by year’s end, but that’s not a guarantee.

Source: Eva Gladstein, Philadelphia Zoning Code Commission
Writer: Andy Sharpe

In a few weeks, PECO and the art technology outlet Breadboard will once again collaborate to brighten the Center City skyline. This year, PECO will showcase up to three works of visual artistry each Friday from September through December as scrolling artwork atop its building, says Ben Armstrong, Senior Communications Specialist at PECO. This is known as "Art in the Air," and this is the second year it's been done.

What is even more exciting is that PECO and Breadboard have upped the ante this year by putting in a cash incentive for visual artists. In addition to having their message displayed on PECO's building, artists will now be competing to win $1,000 for the "best in show" message, says Armstrong. The winning artist will also have their display featured for a prolonged period in January. Submissions for September are due by Aug. 23 (more submission info here).

PECO and Breadboard are looking to build off of their success last year with "Art in the Air." Last year's visual feast began on July 4 to commemorate the 34-year anniversary of PECO's scrolling messages, the one-year anniversary of PECO's adoption of LED lights, and Independence Day. From then on, the display ran on Fridays through out the year, ultimately featuring "over twenty local artists," said Armstrong.

PECO's LED lights enable the electricity provider to provide this visual art show. "The old lights limited us to 72 characters; letters, numbers, and spaces," said PECO's Communications Specialist. "LED lights let us use full animation and colors." Indeed, the PECO building has become quite colorful and animated in the two years since it switched to LED lights.

PECO has provided the top of its building at 23rd and Market Streets as a place for local non-profits and community groups to spread their message since 1976. Along with that, PECO also uses its scrolling marquee to provide energy-saving tips for customers and tourists alike.  

Source: Ben Armstrong, PECO
Writer: Andy Sharpe

You can't argue with this one: Real estate agents have it tough these days. Buyers do too, of course. But when your very livelihood is dependent upon the whims of a mortgage broker and the all-around insecurity of banks these days, making an honest buck isn't easy.

Consider, as an example, the precarious situation of MM Partners, a small real estate development firm whose business involves the construction, the design, and the sale of modern apartments in Brewerytown, of all places.

"Something we talk about a lot," says Jacob Roller, MM Partners' co-founder, "is that the neighborhood needs more exposure, and in a positive way. People may not know about Brewerytown, or they may have just heard its name in a negative way, and that's not really the case. But perception is reality. So you have to work on that."

And work on that he did. Along with his partner, David Waxman, Roller came up with the idea for BrewerytownLiving.com, a well-designed blog that advertises the free cultural events that Roller and his co-workers are organizing in Brewerytown. Recent events have included a Doggie Yappy Hour, during which dogs and their humans meet in a park for socialization and snacks. There are also jazz concerts, clothing swaps, art shows, and food festivals.

"We'd been doing a little bit of this on our own," says Roller. "So we said, 'Let's do it in a more comprehensive way, and in a more organized way.' And that led us to Brewerytown Living."

Roller, by the way, is insistent that Brewerytown Living isn't a mere marketing ploy. "We don't want to use (the website) to try and sell people a house," he adds. 'It's really all about community building, you know? Getting people together, and having a good time."

Writer: Dan Eldridge
Source: Jacob Roller, MM Partners LLC

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Along with their parents, the stroller set was out in full force last Saturday in the Art Museum district, where a celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony ushered in the opening of FreePlay on the Parkway. Known as a pocket park, FreePlay is located on the south side of the Parkway between 21st and 22nd streets, on the plot of grass that was formerly known as Calder Park. The $70,000 project was the collective brainchild of two Logan Square women, Catherine Barrett and Christine Piven, who dreamed of having a small, nontraditional park space where parents and children alike could enjoy creative and unstructured leisure time.

The result is a space that looks almost nothing like a traditional American playground. The centerpiece is an octagonal sandbox that was designed to incorporate interactive play. And next to that is a space filled with dozens of squishy, blue foam blocks that children can rearrange into an infinite number of combinations. The opposite side of the park is home to a concrete ping-pong table. And during the day, tables and chairs arranged throughout the park will encourage conversation and impromptu games of chess.

There's also a bevy of good news for grownups: Summer programming at FreePlay has already been scheduled, and includes yoga and art classes for adults and kids; a monthly outdoor reading series; tai chi lessons; and even ballroom dancing performances.

Perhaps even more exciting, though, are Barrett and Piven's plans to create other similar parks in the underutilized pockets of the city. And considering that Mayor Nutter, who made a brief appearance at the ceremony, is an unabashed supporter of FreePlay, there's a decent chance that may actually happen.

"This is a very, very exciting project," he said. "Let's figure out how to get maybe 20, 25 more of them, all around the city of Philadelphia."

Writer: Dan Eldridge
Source: Play In Between

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The downtown business improvement organization known as the Center City District has been working to improve the experience of an afternoon spent wandering along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for well over a decade now. But as the organization's CEO, Paul Levy, explains, the Parkway has always had one major downfall. "(It's) a wonderful cultural district," he says. "(It's) perfect in postcards, and great to drive on. But it's always been seriously lacking in pedestrian amenities."

And that's one major reason why Levy and the CCD have decided to seriously transform Philadelphia's 35-year-old Sister Cities Park, which is located on Logan Square. It's also just one small aspect of the $19.9 million renovation of the Parkway that will also include the forthcoming installation of the Barnes Museum, and the upgrading of the Rodin Museum.

Constructed in 1976, and located directly in front of the Cathedral-Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sister Cities Park was originally intended to celebrate Philadelphia's relationship with its 10 international sister cities, which include Florence, Tel Aviv, and even Douala, Cameroon. But as Levy points out, "If you ask 99 percent of Philadelphians, 'Why is it (called) Sister Cities Park, and what does it say about sister cities?' there was virtually nothing (informational) there--just some names on stones."

In order to rectify that situation, a series of educational signs will be installed at the park. A fountain will also be added, with various plumes of water representing each of the sister cities. Landscaping and a set of benches will surround the fountain, and a garden designed especially for children's play will be constructed nearby.

The $4.6 million project, Levy says, which is expected to open in the spring of 2012, was funded by an especially wide range of donors, including the Pew Charitable Trusts and the William Penn Foundation.

Source: Paul Levy, Center City District
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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When Sara Hirschler was driving around Spring Garden a few years back on a house-hunting mission, it was her real estate agent who pointed out the embarrassing eyesore that was Roberto Clemente Park, at 19th and Wallace streets. "He was like, 'Don't look at this park--it's not a good place!'" Hirschler recalls. And at the time, that was certainly an accurate assessment. Roberto Clemente Park has long been seen as a hotbed of illicit drug and gang activity, regardless of the fact that much of the surrounding community is relatively upscale.

Hirschler nevertheless ended up purchasing a condo around the corner from the park, and she soon came to know Roberto Clemente as "this really amazing, central spot in the neighborhood," she says. "I definitely saw it as an opportunity, where I could have a place to get to know my neighbors."

At first, Hirschler organized a series of kickball games in the park, but they soon evolved into something bigger and better. "I went through the park," she says, "and created an action plan of all the needs the park had--basic things, like painting the playground equipment, and the field needing some grass."

Along with Justino Navarro, a Spring Garden CDC board member, Hirschler also launched Friends of Clemente, which has been working to revitalize the park since 2008. (The group is largely funded by donations.) The organization's latest initiative involves a complete overhaul of the park, which should be finished by the end of May. A fence that wraps around the park's field is also being painted, and on May 14 the group will be hosting the second installment of Clemente Fest, a sort of neighborhood get-together featuring food, music, and a handball tournament.

"It's such a beautiful neighborhood," Hirschler adds. "And (Clemente Fest) is a great opportunity to start to get to know everybody, and to really feel like a community."

Source: Sara Hirschler, Friends of Clemente
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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When Microsoft's $63 million School of the Future opened in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park in September 2006, expectations among area parents--some of whom nearly battled in order to secure a spot for their children--couldn't have possibly been higher. But by the time that first class of students was preparing to graduate, attitudes surrounding the school--which didn't require textbooks, and where many of the core subjects required for university admission weren't offered--had shifted considerably.

Today, many of the school's educational kinks have been duly worked out. But if such a project was proposed within the city today--that is, if a public development project was proposed to take place within Philadelphia's public park land--the eventual outcome would almost certainly be different. That's because on April 15, Mayor Michael Nutter signed an ordinance to amend the approval process that takes place when the city's public park land is transferred to some sort of non-park use, as was the case with the Microsoft high school.

"It's an effort that's really been spearheaded by the Parks and Recreation Commission," explains Patrick Morgan, who works underneath Commissioner Mike DiBerardinis. "What it does," he says, "is it establishes a process that's predictable and transparent for all the parties: for City Council, for citizens, and for the (Parks and Recreation) Commission."

And while there aren't currently any plans in place to change usage of city parkland, this new ordinance, which is set to take effect with the change of the fiscal year (July 1), will set in motion that new process of transparency.

"Right now, all (city) parkland is being used for its intended purpose," says Morgan. "But if someone proposes changing the use for whatever reason, then this process kicks in."

Source: Patrick Morgan, Department of Parks and Recreation
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Here's a little-known Philadelphia factoid: According to Sukiya Living, a bi-monthly journal of Japanese gardening, the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Fairmount Park is the third-ranked Japanese garden in all of North America. And yet according to Shofuso's Executive Director, Kim Andrews, the historic site is so underfunded that it doesn't even have its own on-site storage or office space. But thanks to Andrews, that's all about to change.

After recently penning a 10,000-word grant proposal for the Pew Center's Heritage Philadelphia Program, Shofuso was awarded $184,300 to historically restore two run-down "comfort stations" that were built as restrooms for the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Andrews' "most brilliant move ever," as she refers to it, involved combining the Pew Center's grant with an even larger funding source from Fairmount Park's Preservation and Development arm.

In total, Shofuso received well over $500,000. Beginning this May, that money will be used to restore both of the former comfort stations back to their 1876 glory; the historic architectural preservation team from John Milnar and Associates will be in charge of the design.

"This is just transformational for a small organization like us," says Andrews. "It makes it so that we can fulfill our mission in a way that we've never really been able to do, ever, in the history of our organization."

And while one of the restored buildings will be used primarily as office and storage space, Andrews explains that the other will be a multipurpose classroom, where photography classes, bonsai workshops, and origami and Japanese flower arranging classes will take place. It will also be used as a staging area for weddings. "This multiplies our story exponentially," says Andrews. "Now we're literally anchored in history."

Shofuso expects to hold its grand opening for the buildings during the 2012 Cherry Blossom Festival, in April.

Source: Kim Andews, Shofuso
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Located just north of the Art Museum, Philadelphia's Fairmount neighborhood is generally thought of as one of the city's toniest enclaves. But as Rebecca Johnson, the executive director of the Fairmount CDC, explains, "We actually have a surprising number of boarded up, PHA-owned properties north of Poplar."

And yet the community development organization's latest neighborhood improvement project, which is known as the Vital Neighborhoods Initiative, and which was funded this year with a series of grants from the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, wasn't focused on the run-down or boarded-up sections of Fairmount at all. Instead, the grants are intended to strengthen and improve those sections of a neighborhood that are considered to be middle-market. They can't be high-income sections, as Johnson explains, nor can they be extremely low-income. "The whole concept of Vital Neighborhoods," she says, "is that it's targeting areas that maybe need a chiropractor, so to speak, but not back surgery."

In Fairmount, the section deemed most in need of a metaphorical adjustment this year was the 900 block of North 26th Street, between Poplar Street and West Girard Avenue. Perhaps not coincidentally, that same block is also on the route of the Girard Avenue trolley. "So in terms of neighborhood marketing," Johnson says, "and sending a message that this is a place that people really care about, we felt like it was giving a lot of visibility to people traveling through the neighborhood."

Before long, Philadelphians traveling through that section of Fairmount will have a first-hand chance to see what the $30,000 grant has accomplished. Currently the plan includes basic streetscape improvements: Out-of-shape steps and retaining walls, for instance, will be spruced up, while trees and solar powered light posts will be installed in front of some properties. "We're looking at long-term outcomes, like improved home sales," says Johnson. "And just cleaner, more aesthetically-pleasing environments. That's really kind of the goal."

Source: Rebecca Johnson, Fairmount CDC & Amy E. McCullom, Preservation Alliance
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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There are a few things every neighborhood needs close by; a grocery store for food, a bar for nightlife and, for the caffeine-addicted among us, a local coffee shop. So when Mugshots owner Angie Vendetti went looking for her third location, she knew it had to be a neighborhood seriously jonesing for java. She settled on Brewerytown, Girard Avenue's west end that has seen strong development in the last two years. As Brewerytown's main commercial corridor begins to take shape, Mugshots hopes to be there to add a little cream and sugar. The shop, located at 2831 Girard Ave., celebrated it's grand opening on Halloween and served its first customers this week.

"We decided to have a grand opening on Halloween because of the timing, so we could get the kids to come in," says Vendetti. "It was actually a really good turnout. There were probably 150 people there, most of whom I didn't know so that's awesome. It wasn't all my friends and family."

Rehabbed by local development group MM Partners, the space was previously a hat shop that relocated to the other end of the block. Vendetti kept the original stained glass along the top of the facade but updated the lighting and the appliances for sustainability standards. Mugshots has long been a sustainable business focusing on fair trade coffee and reducing waste. But for now, Vendetti says, she will settle for being accepted into the Brewerytown community.

"Ever since we opened in Fairmount, we have been on that fence of trying to educate people without shoving it down their throats," says Vendetti. "We don't want people to feel like they are being preached at so we always make these options available--we offer 10 percent off for people with travel mugs, we don't give bags automatically if you only order one thing, things like that--so that they might catch on."

Source: Angie Vendetti, Mugshots Coffeehouse
Writer: John Steele

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When adults reach a certain age, the world can feel like a pretty uninhabitable place. Long stairwells, narrow doorways and high entryways can all do a number on achy knees and hips. Philadelphia knows this all too well. The stoops and narrow rowhomes dotting Philly's most storied neighborhoods become difficult as home owners age, and a group of designers and activists think it's time for a change.

Examining this issue is the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, a state-funded group working to make Philadelphia safer for seniors. On Friday, PCA's Visitability Committee, in partnership with the Community Design Collaborative and Philadelphia's Office of Housing and Community Development, unveiled the results of "Visitability for Urban Neighborhoods," a design charette searching for a home building model that would benefit older homeowners as they age.

"People think of senior housing as high-rises, subsidized housing," says PCA Director of Housing Susan Klein. But over 80 percent of seniors in Philadelphia own their own homes. What I see is that we keep on building places as if people are going to live 'til 40 in good health and then die."

To correct these design mistakes, the charette called for a new home model that could blend in with the other rowhomes in Philly neighborhoods but would include three visitability tenets: an entrance without a step, wider hallways and doors and a first-floor half bathroom. Subsidized housing already uses these tenets but so far, for-profit builders have been slow to come around. This charette was intended to change their minds.

"While this is very important for seniors, if you are buying a house at 40, it also affects you," says Klein. "You may want Aunt Ann to come to Thanksgiving Dinner or you want to get a stroller through or just that you want to stay in that home forever."

Source: Susan Klein, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging
Writer: John Steele

Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey announced last Tuesday that Pennsylvania would receive $47 million in federal transit and infrastructure grants as part of the Federal Transit Administration's State of Good Repair program. As SEPTA updated its hybrid bus fleet two years ago, the lion's share of the funding went to Pittsburgh's Allegheny County Port Authority for a clean diesel fleet of their own. But SEPTA didn't come away empty handed, receiving $8.1 million for two infrastructure improvements a long time coming.

The first grant will revamp SEPTA's Parkside Bus Loop, helping reconnect this West Philly neighborhood. But the second, more universal improvement will aid in future upgrades. Using $6.4 million, SEPTA will install an asset management system to aid in record-keeping as many of Philadelphia's transit assets come up for repairs.

"A lot of our infrastructure dates back to the early 1900's and were taken over from other private companies," says SEPTA CFO Richard Burnfield. "What the FTA was trying to focus on is knowing what you have out there in the field before you can make an assessment as to what your overall needs are, coming up with a plan for when things should be replaced."

The system will help SEPTA keep better records so when funding is available, the authority can make a more organized, more compelling case for further federal dollars as the fleet is upgraded.

"Right now, we do a very good job of managing our assets so while the records are not as computerized as we'd like them to be, we have so much knowledge within our engineering staff that I feel we make excellent decisions," says Burnfield. "But I think this will help us going forward so we can do a second check on things as our staff reaches retirement."

Source: Richard Burnfield, SEPTA
Writer: John Steele

When Levi Strauss created his first work pants for Gold Rush workers in 1873, he fastened his stitches and buttonholes with hard, brass buttons and rivets for strength. Ever since, these brass denim appendages have symbolized the toughness of the American worker. So when the Fairmount Park Art Association approached Irish artist John Kindness to create a monument to Philadelphia's role in U.S. labor rights history, Kindness created seven brass work button tables, each representing a famous moment in Philadelphia labor history.

The monument, unveiled at Elmwood Park in Southwest Philadelphia last Friday, is part of a city-wide movement called New Landmarks, an effort to involve local citizens in the process of creating public art projects. When asked at various community meetings what sort of piece would best represent the Elmwood Park neighborhood, the vastly blue-collar Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood asked for a monument to the working man, to celebrate the history and the sacrifice of labor unions in the U.S.

"In Elmwood Park, they were very clear that they wanted to honor the working class because this particular park had actually been created for workers in industry because Westinghouse and General Electric and Hog Island Shipyard were all right there," says FPAA Executive Director Penny Balkin Bach. 

Each button table was molded out of brass and made to honor a famous event in history. Working with the Friends of Elmwood Park, Kindness, the son of a Belfast shipyard worker, created each table to be not only an urban history lesson but to make the park a gathering place for working people once again.

"These tables call attention to issues that are still going on today around the United States and across the world," says Balkin Bach. "It really calls attention to the really groundbreaking work and the debt that we all have to unions over the course of these many years."

Source: Penny Balkin Bach, FPAA
Writer: John Steele

In science fiction novels and books about the future, a few technologies are boilerplate: flying cars, meals in pill form and the ability to teleport instantly from place to place. National commuter rail company Amtrak took another step toward teleportation on Tuesday with its announcement of a high-speed rail vision plan. In Tuesday's news conference from University City's 30th Street Station, with Governor Ed Rendell on hand, Amtrak officials laid out their goal to create a line with average speeds well over 130 mph, saving passengers between one and two hours on average.

"Amtrak is putting forward a bold vision of a realistic and attainable future that can revolutionize transportation, travel patterns and economic development in the Northeast for generations," says Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman.

The plan, entitled A Vision for High-Speed Rail in the Northeast Corridor, proposes a full build-out to be completed by 2040. Its construction, Amtrak says, would create more than 40,000 full-time jobs annually over a 25-year period, building new track, tunnels, bridges, stations, and other infrastructure. Predictably, the cost for such a project is high, $4.7 billion annually over 25 years. But Amtrak's feasibility studies peg the Northeast as a "mega-region" capable of drawing the type of rail traffic to make such an investment profitable. And with some premier legislative voices like New Jersey's Frank Lautenberg and Massachusetts' John Kerry already voicing their support, we may be teleporting out of 30th Street Station sooner than we think.

"Amtrak's High Speed Rail plan will create jobs, cut pollution and help us move towards a modern and reliable transportation system network in the Northeast," said Kerry in a recent statement. "As countries around the world continue to build out their transportation systems, we
cannot afford to fall further behind. This is an important down payment on the massive commitment necessary to bridge our infrastructure gap." 

Source: Joseph Boardman, Amtrak
Writer: John Steele