Pearl Properties has revamped its design for the
residential high-rise it plans at the site of Center City's Boyd Theatre after
collaborating with neighbors who had criticized the developer's previous
proposal.
The new plan by locally based architect Cecil Baker calls
for a 32-story tower of mostly glass and aluminum that would rise above a base
of off-white painted metal and limestone incorporating the historic theater's
facade.
The design was released as part of Pearl's application
for work at the 1910 Chestnut St. site to the Philadelphia Historical
Commission's Architectural Committee, which will consider the new proposal on
Tuesday.
It comes after residents of surrounding buildings in the
Rittenhouse Square area took the unusual step of commissioning their own
proposal for the site and persuading the developer to embrace it.
"It was essentially a bunch of neighbors saying, 'We
can do better and we can do it in a collaborative way,' " said Richard
Gross, who organized the effort to have the design altered. "Instead of
having a lawyer sue them to stop it, we thought of having an architect fix it
and make it better."
The architectural committee came down against Pearl's
earlier plan for the site - consisting of a rectangular 27-story tower wrapped
in red, white, and gray metal panels - in May.
Neighboring residents also slammed the proposal, saying
that its design didn't live up to its prime location among historic buildings
and that its massing overwhelmed nearby structures.
At a later hearing in June, the developer was granted
approvals for the retail portion of the project fronting Chestnut Street, which
entails the restoration of the Boyd's 1950s marquee. The shops will also
include a small-format Target store.
Pearl said at that meeting that it was withdrawing its
application for the tower so it could revise its plans in consultation with
residents of nearby buildings, who had retained Baker at their own expense to
come up with a proposal they could back.
The architect was eventually hired by the developer to be
the project's lead designer.
Other changes to the plan move entrances to the
building's loading docks and underground parking lot from Sansom Street to 20th
Street and reduce the height of the structure where it's adjacent to shorter
buildings.
Reed Slogoff, a Pearl partner, said the company worked
closely with the neighborhood to come up with the plan in its current form.
"We're excited to proceed with what we think is a
fantastic development at an important site in Philadelphia," he said.
Source: Philly.com
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