City planners view hotel, Wistar, tofu factory plans
A new Wistar complex; Ambrosi's new Old City hotel; Nature's Soy expands; zoo parking
City planners view hotel, Wistar, tofu factory plans
Joseph N. DiStefano
The Philadelphia City Planning Commission meets Tuesday, July 20, 1 PM, upstairs at 1515 Arch St. Planners will talk about, among other things:
- 401 Race St.: Developer Robert Ambrosi's Race Street Partners LP plans 155 hotel rooms and 35,000 square feet of retail in this taxpayer-subsidized 9-story complex, plus 379 parking spaces. Commission's Martin Gregorski says there'll be "no action" at the meeting, "but we expect a possible rezoning ordinance" this fall.
- Wistar Institute: Wistar will knock down a part of the anatomy-gene-cancer-vaccine research center's complex in the 3600 block of Spruce Street and build a new 6-story, 94,000-square-foot biology research building where, we're told, fraternity pledges will still be sent with instructions to find out how many human hands there are in a bag of hands. (Note: an earlier version wrongly said Wistar is part of Penn; Wistar is located in the middle of Penn's campus, but it's independent. See "Also" note below.)
- 10th and Olive: Nature's Soy, 713 N. 10th Street, is expanding its processing plant into Olive and Hutchinson streets. Like dairies, fresh-soy products need local plants to serve local markets. So Philadelphia manufacturing, which used to produce Midvale Steel, Baldwin locomotives, Stetson hats, Disston saws, Hog Island ships, Schmidt's beer, now gives us tofu.
- The Philadelphia Zoo has a new parking plan.
MORE from Wistar spokeswoman Staci Vernick Goldberg: "Wistar is planning a major renovation and expansion of its facility." Wistar "consists of a late-Victorian terra cotta and brick building constructed in 1894, and a Cancer Research Building and vivarium constructed in 1975. The planned project involves demolition of a portion of the 1975 structure and construction of a seven-story research tower (five stories above-grade), with state of the art laboratories in its place.
"The project will enable Wistar, recognized internationally for its cancer research and vaccine development, to expand its research programs and public outreach, and recruit new faculty. We are currently working with the architecture and engineering firm Ballinger to refine the design and scope of the project, and securing the necessary approvals from various agencies and institutions with interest in the project."
Well, Penn seems to know no ends to construction. Can't they just build a tallest building in the world type of structure and stick everything that is old and cramped and functionally obsolete into it? I have to hand it you for keeping me updated on my favorite Penn characters, the frat guys. At least they are smarter than the bunch that had to find out who the statue of Ben Franklin was named after in order to pledge.
i think you mean 1515 Arch, 1414 puts you somewhere around the Broad St median, which is too narrow for most civic meetings great depth though!— theJOJ
I worked at Wistar Institute for the developer of the rubella vaccine during the mid to late 1960s. The destruction of such a historic building would be a travesty!— skunkman
ROFL. So a 'soy-processing plant' shows that Philadelphia manufacturing isn't quite dead. Yeah. Maybe if they set up a hydroponic bean-sprout-farm that will show that Philadelphia agriculture isn't quite dead either. Bring back the Budd Co. THAT was manufacturing. Soy-processing. Friggin' fruitcakes...............— phluphya19147
Comment removed.- Skunkman's asking the right question and my item fails to adequately address it. Planning Commission staff told me they understand this includes both demolition and new construction, however they did not have information to hand as to what exactly would be demolished. Possibly the historic section of the complex will be preseved. I have not yet gotten this info from Penn either. That's why this is a blog item, not a print article. I'm off tomorrow but I expect we'll be addressing this soon. Thanks to Tatts and Skunkman - Joe D.— distefj
Wistar =/= Penn— KurtMagroo- Wistar has within its research vaults the first evidence of the HIV virus from its monkey experimental lymph tissue dating back to the late 1950's. If the any newspaperman or woman in our city it was worth their salt they would demand via the freedom of information act specific information confirming this from the institue's own research. Also, why has no one at this newspaper investigated the chemical storage facility at Sadtler Research labs on 34th street.It is the ultimate toxic waste dump in an above ground bunker with chemical samples going back almost 70 years, with no protection of our community.— dpsteven
- Seems like a pretty stupid thing to hate on a tofu factory when it is simply supplying a demand. We should be thankful that the factory is in Philadelphia and not King of Prussia, Levittown, or Mount Laurel.— NickFromGermantown
