Preservation & Development Building a Legacy: Allowing the Present to Become the Cherished Past 2016 BIA Philadelphia Builders Conference Harris Steinberg, Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation, Drexel University ◯ 21 September 2016

Philadelphia is a big city that has been built and rebuilt continually over time.

West Shipyard

Remains of English shipyard (1676)

predating William Penn’s arrival (1682)

by 6 years. Ancient wooden boat slips

are buried beneath parking lot on

Delaware Avenue north of Ben Franklin

Bridge.

Wood Street Steps

Last remaining set of permanent steps

erected following judgement by

William Penn in response to Samuel

Carpenter’s request to develop

warehouse along the river (1684).

Penn allows warehouse but requires

public access to the Delaware

waterfront.

State House

The State House (Independence Hall)

has been added to and altered. The

main building was built between 1732

and 1751. The clock tower was added

in 1753. Current steeple added by

William Strickland in 1828. Wings and

hyphens demolished and rebuilt over

time.

Pennsylvania Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb

John Haviland designs Greek Revival

original building on Broad Street in

1824. William Strickland adds wings

in 1838. Frank Furness extends wings

in 1875.

Buildings purchased by Pennsylvania

Museum School of Industrial Arts

(now University of the Arts) in 1895.

1600 block of Locust

WIlson Eyre (1888) modifies the base

of a John Notman (ca. 1850) town

house across the street from St.

Mark’s Church on the 1600 block of

Locust Street.

PSFS

Headquarters building built by Quaker

architect, Addison Hutton on

Washington Square in 1869. Furness,

Evans & Co. expand it in 1898.

George Howe remodels interior in early

20th century. Incorporated into St.

James residential development and

converted to restaurant in 2004.

Franklin Court

Evocation of historic site with famed

“Ghost House” interpretation of

Franklin’s house. Completed 1976.

Venturi and Rauch, Architects.

Philadelphia has an inherent scale and character that has significant value. We know how to balance preservation and development well.

Society Hill

Landmark selective editing of historic

fabric and skillful insertion of modern

residential high rise towers and

townhomes in historic context.

I. M. Pei, completed 1964

Thin Flats

Contemporary take on row house by

Onion Flats in Northern Liberties.

Ten Rittenhouse

Preservation of facade of the

venerable Rittenhouse Club as part of

Ten Rittenhouse residential tower.

Schuylkill Yards

SHoP Architects design new facade

for former Bulletin Building as center

piece for new neighborhood by

Brandywine Realty Trust on long-term

land lease from Drexel University.

Existing parking lot becomes new

Drexel Square.

And yet, too often the battle lines have been drawn again and again.

Philadelphia Life Insurance Company

Mitchell/Giurgola 1962

Demolished for Convention Center

expansion 2008.

Boyd Theatre

Hoffman-Henon 1928.

Demolished 2015.

Controversial case from 1987 to

present. Temporarily voided

Philadelphia’s Preservation Ordinance.

Jewelers Row

Proposed Toll Brothers project 2016.

What if things were different?

Best Practices

Modest proposition

We’ve done it before

If We Fix It, BIA, 2004

Resulting in new Philadelphia Zoning

Code in 2012 - 50 years after last

major rewrite in Ed Bacon-era.

A City-wide Preservation Plan

“We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.”

- Winston Churchill, December 1943. On the rebuilding of the Houses of Commons following 1941 bombing raid.

Preservation & Development Building a Legacy: Allowing the Present to Become the Cherished Past 2016 BIA Philadelphia Builders Conference