tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31444481196011440742012-02-16T01:33:52.836-05:00Philadelphia Development BlogS. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-80780234702168963582009-10-07T09:21:00.003-04:002009-10-07T09:25:41.390-04:00

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, I find myself in wholehearted agreement with Steve Ives' assessment--he says it more eloquently than I ever could:Source:"Any institution that is located along The Parkway yet fails to prominently present itself along this grand avenue doesn't need to be there. Shy architecture belongs on Ludlow Street...or 202. That was my first reaction to these images...not

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-35462722284904794652009-10-06T10:42:00.004-04:002009-10-06T10:58:13.510-04:00

I have never been excited about Todd Williams and Billie Tsien's work. I think that Skircanich (sp.?) Hall's brickwork is vomit-colored (which overwhelms the handlaid character of it) and that Williams-Tsien's other projects have been other such well-intentioned misfirings, at best, and debacles, at worst. So when they were announced as the architects for the new Barnes Museum on the Parkway, I

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-91961252800495251502009-10-05T21:51:00.004-04:002009-10-05T22:52:30.063-04:00

Note: This is a rebuttal to Inga Saffron's lackluster review of this building. With pictures, no less.Of all of Erdy-McHenry's buildings, the new Drexel University 34th Street Dormitory just might be their most impressive. Where the firm has seemed to specialize in building commie block slabs at times in the past (witness Penn's Radian and Temple's Edge) with the Drexel Dorm we get something

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-57295094332633422132009-09-23T14:40:00.001-04:002009-09-23T14:47:07.340-04:00

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S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-4365120511936168182009-09-21T11:40:00.000-04:002009-09-21T11:41:07.281-04:00

This weekend I went camping at Gettysburg. We camped in Caledonia State Park, in the gap between South Mountain and the Blue Ridge, and spent most of Saturday and part of Sunday at the park proper.The park is such an unusual place. You feel like you're going back in time when you're in it--the forest and field boundaries in the main battlefield are still where they were in 1863, when the battle

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-66003419888980953982009-09-14T14:24:00.007-04:002009-09-14T15:01:19.260-04:00

The neighborhood between Broad, Fairmount, Girard, and Corinthian is known as Francisville due to the fact that it encompasses an old village once named Francisville. In fact, this old village creates the interesting situation where there is a secondary inner grid--the grid pattern of Francisville village--tucked into the main Philadelphia grid. Unsurprisingly, Francisville's grid is aligned to

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-76950984035173360442009-09-13T16:47:00.003-04:002009-09-13T17:00:03.410-04:00

The Good:The Phillies beat the Mets and the Eagles routed the Panthers! Huzzah!Sean McDermott has emerged as a worthy successor to Jim Johnson; the Eagles 'D' had a career day today, allowing only three points after the middle of the first quarter; and DeSean Jackson had a punt return for a touchdown today, too.The Bad:Lidge still cannot save a game for beans. He was 'fresh' and should have had a

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-66499662328497696252009-09-10T15:08:00.003-04:002009-09-10T15:12:48.834-04:00

It's a chilly day but I haven't got a lot to talk about. The leaves are dropping; fall is here; be sure to wash your hands, folks! or beware getting the swine flu or what-have you...

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-46569320703968861832009-09-09T11:01:00.003-04:002009-09-09T11:10:29.303-04:00

The Inky today had an interesting piece on Temple University's future plans. This is important for several reasons, they being that the University has several pieces of abominable pieces of Brutalism on campus that need replacing (Beury, Barton, and the Life Sciences Building, and the Paley Library), and because the University wishes to shift the center of the University west to Broad. Currently,

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-91002827621727383272009-09-08T14:02:00.001-04:002009-09-08T14:03:17.900-04:00

Kudos to Kevin Dion for providing the fish-eye view now seen in the Gristmill's header!

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-19727252399438939932009-09-08T13:49:00.003-04:002009-09-08T13:55:56.678-04:00

There has as of late been a significant amount of work on the north end of the Schuylkill Banks trail. Several new features are being added: 1) a fishing pier at the south side of the site, 2) a low riverside trail (now half-complete) that will extend from the fishing pier to a stairwell at the north end, and 3) landscape improvements at the north end of the site (including the structure along

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-51928659983524562472009-09-06T22:46:00.002-04:002009-09-06T22:46:41.613-04:00

Does anybody know what's going on here?

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-66917351333904878842009-09-05T22:36:00.006-04:002009-09-05T23:10:30.175-04:00

The YWCA is (was?) the ladies' version of the YMCA. Whereas the old YMCA is being redeveloped into Le Meridien, tough, the YWCA sits vacant on Chestnut waiting for its rocket to come.What I find ironic about this cornerstone is the use of the delta symbol. Why would such a respectable organization as the YWCA attach itself to a symbol so prurient as that? It's a double etendre sitting out in

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-60715673494262118172009-09-04T20:36:00.003-04:002009-09-04T21:11:12.279-04:00

Ooooookay, since I can't figure out how to post a 40-photo photo essay on here, I figure I can spend some time talking about the Convention Center expansion.Almost since it was first opened, the Pennsylvania Convention Center is almost too small. Forget about the fact that it sprawls through the old Reading Terminal trainshed and a good two blocks to its north; forget about the fact that it

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-58239571132087193492009-09-03T19:55:00.001-04:002009-09-03T20:14:33.478-04:00

Yesterday during a break between classes I went down to the Schuylkill Banks and checked out what's going on. Four major tidbits of news seem to be relevant:1. The parking garage for Cira Centre South is half-finished. It has a degree of style that's unusual in a garage, but it will look better when the towers flanking it on either side are built, I think.2. Demolition of the asphalt field

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3144448119601144074.post-84250271151254040532009-09-03T13:09:00.001-04:002009-09-03T13:09:50.074-04:00

This is a test to see if this thing actually works.

S. Michael Stofkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17169655016161463964noreply@blogger.com0