State of Penn's Landing

Remember folks, it's 2003 now. We've just gotten back from the Penn's Landing colloquium sponsored by the Inquirer and Penn and held at the Seaport Museum, one of the few actual functioning things at the current version of Penn's Landing. We laughed with Blatstein and at Atlantis, we liked Keating for who he is but not his project, and we marveled at Cesar Pelli. And then we came outside and walked in the rain along the Riverfront, thinking the Great Plaza (and its little "founding of Philadelphia" map things) is pretty decent, and that Penn's Landing's assets stop there. The Irish Memorial is separated by I-95. So is everything in Old City / Independence Park / Center City. The hotel's all right, but generally speaking, locals don't patronize hotels. The Columbus Memorial couldn't look more like a penis if it tried. The Olympia and the Becuna are nice, but outside of a once-through for locals, they're really best for maritime buffs and veterans (which is not to imply that Philadelphians are neither, of course). The Moshulu, well ok, the Moshulu is an asset. The marina is ok . . . if you have a yacht. The tram . . . well it's no secret how much Philly Skyline hates the tram. We hope with all our black heart that it dies before it is born, and that the parking lot it sits in magically turns into grass or anything but a riverfront parking lot overnight. But at the heart of it all is the roaring sound of passing traffic. I-95 and Delaware Avenue aren't elephants in Penn's Landing's room, they are the room. Gotta cap them is Penn's Landing is gonna work.

With this preface, here's a look at how the forum went.
TOWER: Bart Blatstein: hot developer, local boy, Hollywood looks, standup (to Ron White) guy. He explained to the crowd that, after his visit to Italy, he is in love with cascading piazzas. So much so, in fact, one is the central theme of his Tower Investment's idea for Penn's Landing. A central plaza along the riverfront which leads, by way of piazza, to an arch under a residential building with a dome on top. It's not bad, but it's not great. It's got too much brick and it kind of turns its back on Center City, where the most ideal goal is to connect the historical district and Penn's Landing by open space or open air. Blatstein, always the crowd pleaser, jokes when asked for his thoughts on the aerial tram which was required for the study that it is his and everyone's dream to be able to ride a tram to Camden.
THE HARBOR: Daniel Keating: seasoned Vet, Penn's Landing pioneer. Keating has a head start on his competition in that he's already built a Hyatt hotel with a classy restaurant bearing his name. Unfortunately, his group's vision for the development of the sacred 13 acres is closer to an amusement park than to an urban, historical waterfront. With a copy of London's Millennium Eye (the big ferris wheel), it seems that this project actually enjoyed the inclusion of the tram. Plus one of the only things good about the current Penn's Landing, the Great Plaza, is sacrificed for the ferris wheel. It did, however, have a focal point spire thingy with a flashing red light on top, which is at least a landmark.
ATLANTIS: All you need to know about this project is "steaming grottos." In their defense, Atlantis' backers made their presentation explaining how they'd be footing the entire $1B bill privately. And, one of the key components of the project is its cap over I-95, which is currently the biggest problem with Penn's Landing's relation with the city. And honestly? The big tower with the sailboat-curve wasn't that bad . . . for Dubai. (Oh wait, they already have one.) Volcanic light shows and steaming grottos and $15 cover charges belong in Vegas (and Dubai), not in William Penn's greene countrie towne. (I recognize that that last statement sounds a bit NIMBYish, but for real -- look at the pictures. You don't want that in Philly.)
FOUNDERS SQUARE: Finally, someone gets it. Before the Amtrak parking garage which predated Cira Centre had even opened its doors, Brandywine Realty and Cesar Pelli teamed up to give the best presentation of them all. Maybe it was Pelli's soft spoken and eloquent demeanor, but this one just made sense. It subtlely integrates the open green space with light retail and low-/mid-rise residential buildings. It leaves the Great Plaza intact. It only included the tram because it was required to. While not entirely capping I-95, it covers Delaware Avenue in a manner that uses the Irish Memorial as the perfect link between Penn's Landing and Old City. And, as a new landmark, it had a wave-thing at the foot of Market Street, visible from as far as City Hall straight down Market, whose bridge across 95 and Del Ave would itself be given a makeover.

Now that the plans have been laid out, we can only hope that nothing screws them up and that the proceedings are honest -- there's an election coming up, after all. Stay tuned to this section of Philly Skyline, as we'll soon be launching a photo essay of how Penn's Landing looks at the present.

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