The Rodin Museum is a beloved Philadelphia icon, a taut
little neoclassical temple designed for the Parkway by one of the city's master
architects, Paul Philippe Cret. The City Branch rail bed is a cultural treasure
of a very different sort. Some envision the exuberantly overgrown right-of-way
as a ribbon park that could link the Reading Viaduct to the Art Museum.
The two have sat side-by-side for nearly a century - both
artifacts from the city's manufacturing heyday - mostly ignoring each other.
But now their fates have become intertwined by a proposal for an apartment
house over a one-block section of the rail bed, which runs in an open trench
behind the museum. The building's south facade would be just 60 feet from the
Rodin's back door.
It is a project that manages to be at once both dismaying
and intriguing. Commissioned by David Blumenfeld's Cross Properties, the
mixed-used building promises to fill in one of the remaining gaps in the
booming neighborhood north of the Parkway. Yet the six-story apartment house
would drastically alter how we experience these two important historic
structures.
The case is more difficult than usual because Cret's museum
is among Philadelphia's most recognizable works of architecture. It derives its
charm from the serene and aristocratic way it resides on its Parkway site,
surrounded by greenery like an isolated country villa. While there are many
high-rises nearby, the specific location of Blumenfeld's building could put an
end to the fantasy and make the diminutive Rodin look hemmed in by a giant.
The impact on the jungly landscape of the rail bed, which
has been dubbed the "low line" by the group that wants to turn it
into a trail park, could be equally profound.
Two stories below street level, the trench also benefits
from the perception of isolation. Walking its two-mile length, you experience
the city at a distance, occasionally glimpsing snippets of the skyline above
its massive stone walls. Once capped by the apartment building, the pit behind
the Rodin would be reduced, at best, to a dim tunnel. At worst, the corridor
would be cut into two useless pieces, rendering the park idea stillborn.
For all that, Blumenfeld's proposal does offer the city
something in return.
The building would immediately establish a strong urban
presence on Hamilton Street, between 21st and 22d Street. It would be part of a
growing line of grand residences stretching from Pennsylvania Avenue - where
Cret built his last project at No. 2601 - to the new Granary Apartments on
Callowhill Street, behind the Free Library.
Since the Barnes Foundation opened in 2012, this area has
become a magnet for developers. Another residential project, Rodin Square, just
began construction on Hamilton Street, directly across from the trench. Along
with a pair of 10-story apartment houses, that complex will feature a new Whole
Foods and other retail.
Blumenfeld also plans a row of storefronts on Hamilton
Street. That will cement the block as a retail hub. He also wants to tuck the
parking garage underground. At the same time, he will preserve a corridor for a
future rail line, as required by a SEPTA easement. The park is what could be
the big loser.
Still, as wonderful as a trail could be, the project remains
a far-off dream - the city hasn't even been able to pull off the more manageable
high-line park on the Reading Viaduct. One argument against using the
two-mile-long, submerged corridor for a park is that it would compete for users
and money with the parallel public space of the Parkway.
The real issue is whether Blumenfeld's architects, Barton
Partners, can create something worthy of Cret's Rodin.
So far, the answer is no. To be fair, its design is still in
an early stage. Barton has simply sketched a site plan showing the size and
arrangement of the building's parts. It hasn't colored in the fine details or
selected materials, the magical alchemy that produces architecture. Blumenfeld
(brother of Divine Lorraine developer Eric Blumenfeld) says he wants to get the
support of the Logan Square Neighborhood Association before paying for a more
detailed design.
That group seems mostly concerned with traffic at the
already congested intersection of 21st and Hamilton, rather than design. But
for the sake of the city's iconic Rodin Museum, design needs to be the
priority.
Right now, the architects are showing a building shaped like
the number '7.' A long, curving facade would face the back of the Rodin, while
the retail portion on Hamilton Street would be just one story. Blumenfeld has
promised to install a 60-foot wide linear park between the curved facade and
the Rodin, with a restaurant opening onto the green space.
It would be better for the Rodin if the designers flipped
this layout, placing the long facade on Hamilton Street. That would give the
museum the breathing room it deserves, without compromising the Hamilton Street
retail. The other benefit is that a narrower, more compact structure could also
preserve space below for a future rail park. The designers could even embed
light wells in the strip park to make the tunnel feel less claustrophobic.
Reconfiguring the site plan is fairly easy. Creating
architecture that honors the Rodin is much harder.
Based on their portfolios, neither Barton nor Blumenfeld has
ever designed anything approaching what is needed here. In the last few months,
Barton has produced some smart urban site plans for Philadelphia developments
that never materialized. But its completed residential buildings have been the
lowest form of developer-driven architecture, bloated in scale and poorly
detailed.
To realize a building on this site, Blumenfeld will be
asking the city for a long list of favors, including a zoning change and an
exemption from a provision in the building code. It is time for the city to
demand something meaningful in return: a work of architecture that can stand
proudly next to Cret's masterpiece.
Source: Philly.com
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