http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron RSS Feed for Inq Col Inga Saffron en-us Sat, 26 May 2012 03:34:08 GMT http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/20120525_Philadelphia_rsquo_s_Sister_Cities_Park__an_urban_oasis_on_Logan_Square.html Logan Square, one of William Penn’s original city parks, hasn’t been a true square since the early 20th century, when the city began plowing the Ben Franklin Parkway through Center City’s northwest quadrant. The heart of the square was turned into one of the world’s most elegant traffic circles, home to Alexander Stirling Calder’s Swann Fountain, while the remaining pieces were cast adrift, an archipelago of mournful traffic islands, uninhabited and bleak. The Center City District has made a mission out of reclaiming those pieces, starting a few years ago on the west side with the scooped trapezoid called Aviator Park, opposite the Franklin Institute. Now, working its way east, it has just rescued the orphan outside the chocolate-colored Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, a space that goes by the name of Sister Cities Park. The transformation of this tiny shard of land amounts to a small miracle. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/20120518_Surface_parking_lots_hurt_more_than_they_help.html Back in 1993, Philadelphia committed a radical act. It opened a new downtown convention center without a single public parking space. Despite the modest inconvenience, the city’s hospitality industry exploded. Suburbanites flocked in for the popular flower show and other special events, often choosing to take the train instead of driving. Since then, the city’s fortunes have picked up and more cultural attractions have opened, yet the city’s resolve to limit parking has weakened. Both the Kimmel Center and the National Constitution Center included garages in their buildings, although they smartly took pains to hide them underground. But increasingly, aboveground garages are being built close to these venues, and recently a 530-car behemoth was sanctioned for next door to the Convention Center — one block from City Hall. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/20120503_When_the_letter_arrived_in_2007_inviting_Tod_Williams_and_NO_HEAD_SPECIFIED.html When the letter arrived in 2007 inviting Tod Williams and Billie Tsien to enter a select competition to design a new Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, the husband-and-wife architectural team were momentarily stumped. Yes, they were well known among the cognoscenti, who admired their artisanal devotion to their projects. Yes, their new Folk Art Museum in Manhattan had just opened to rave reviews, raising their profile. And, yes, they had just made a good impression in Philadelphia with their elegant design for a small engineering building at the University of Pennsylvania. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/The_Barnes__A_ravishing_building__but_cut_off_from_the_city.html While there are many moments of breathtaking refinement, the result is sadly a long way from being a successful addition to the city. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/20120406_Dirt_is_making_a_comeback.html Would you live in a house made of dirt? The answer, I'm guessing, is no. As a building material, dirt has an image problem. Mud dwellings are practically synonymous with third-world poverty. At best, an earth structure is something you expect to encounter in an old hippie compound. Yet some of the world's most magnificent structures are made of little more than dirt and water, from New Mexico's pueblos to the great Djinguereber mosque in Timbuktu. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/20120316_Changing_Skyline__For_the_Barnes__some_parallels_at_Boston_museum.html BOSTON - This city's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum may be as close in spirit as any institution can get to Philadelphia's celebrated Barnes Foundation. While Gardner was a Brahmin socialite who favored Renaissance art and Albert C. Barnes was a perennial outsider drawn to the avant-garde impressionists, both infused their collections with a deeply personal, convention-be-damned sensibility. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/20120217_Changing_Skyline__Odd_silence_on_options_for_altering_I-95.html The Nutter administration loves to plan stuff. It has probably turned out more master plans in the last four years than the previous two administrations combined. And yet there's one part of the city that it has steadfastly refused to discuss: the I-95 corridor. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/20120120_Changing_Skyline__Zoning_variances_threaten_character_of_Powelton_Village.html Powelton Village has every reason to top the list of Philadelphia's most desirable neighborhoods. Let's start with location. As the first residential area west of Center City, it is a brisk 15-minute walk from downtown. It boasts some of the best transit connections in town, a rich stock of Italianate villas and Victorian twins, and postcard views of the skyline. Geographically, it occupies the same urban niche as Georgetown and Cambridge. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/20120113_Changing_Skyline__An_energy-saving_milestone_planned_for_Philadelphia_s_Kelly_Drive.html A building that runs on half the usual amount of energy? How ho-hum. These days, most new construction in Philadelphia can do that without even trying, simply by adhering to the U.S. Green Building Council's basic LEED standards. What would be really interesting is if someone put up a major building that consumed no energy at all. http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/20120106_Changing_Skyline__Suburbia_s_outer_ring_losing_shine__some_economists_say.html I set out the other day to find the outer edge of the Philadelphia suburbs and ended up in a Chester County subdivision called Oakcrest. Located 45 miles west of Center City, just outside Coatesville, Oakcrest has a network of immaculately paved streets, glossy utility boxes, and an active sales office. What it does not have is a lot of houses.