Washington,D.C. Orders a BLT Special
It seems that Philadelphia isn't the only city where Bower Lewis Thrower is imposing its developer-pleasing brand of architecture. Now it's the turn of Washington, D.C. where the firm is designing the city's first Target . Actually, the design is light-years better than most of BLT's artless Philadelphia boxes, since it seems, from this rendering at least, to respond to the urban context with ground-floor windows. Even more surprising for BLT - which never met an parking-deck project it didn't like - this Target comes with below-grade parking. The 500,000-square-foot store is being built in Columbia Heights, one of D.C.'s most troubled neighborhoods. So why can't Philadelphia get Target to come to East Market Street, which is a thriving shopping street? The former Strawbridge store would be just the place for Target. No doubt BLT would get the job of renovating the store interior, but at least we could take comfort knowing they did an acceptable job at the PSFS building. 
posted by Inga Saffron at 11:00 AM
1 Comments:
I'll tell you why the design is better ib DC. I'm sure the community leaders and politicians insured that it would be a nice design with UNDERGROUND PARKING. The word is out on the street (amongst developers) that any thing goes and will pass through zoning. Why should they spend extra money on below ground parking or great architecture when this city's leaders will allow any THIRD WORLD DESIGN to fly. Just look at the Sloppy building Dranoff wants to put up at Broad and Catharine (it looks like a housing tenement from China). Any development at 8th and Market by Target or other entity that the Goldenberg group attracts must have at leat the underpinnings for 2 or 3 condo or OFFICE TOWERS. HELLO EVERYBODY>>> WHAT IS PHILLY DOING TO ATTRACT JOBS> MAYOR STREET'S BUSINESS ACTION TEAM MUST BE QUAIL HUNTING IN TEXAS WITH DICK CHENNEY!!
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