Tom Crane | New York Magazine
- In New York Magazine, two complimentary pieces by Justin Davidson and Jerry Saltz explore the Barnes Foundation’s new space on the Parkway. Both betray a hesitance to wholly digress into the kind of myopic talking points that have entertained and irked this city for the past two decades: the thievery of an imperial metropolis, the domination of an urban moneyed elite, or the incontrovertibility of one man’s will to dictate the tastes of future generations. For Davidson, the new Barnes stands as “a ravishing reliquary for a dead man’s embalmed dreams;” for Saltz, it is Gesamtkunstwerk—total art.
- Today, says Next American City, two Dutch artists, Jeroen Koolhaas and Dre Urhahn, commence a beautification project on a stretch of Germantown Avenue in Logan. The duo employ techniques and aesthetic choices gleaned from previous work in the favelas, or slums, of Rio de Janerio: solid concentrations of intense pastels, liberally applied to façades.
- Naked Philly shares some renderings for a massive project in Kensington, which could well become an exemplar for the creative (and necessary) reuse of that neighborhood’s industrial architecture. Together, the buildings at 100-110 Oxford Streets, near the El tracks, “will feature offices, conference rooms, a first-floor restaurant,” 118 apartment units.
- Such hope however, should be tempered with the otherwise tough road ahead for adaptive reuse. In his Inquirer article (“Abandoned factories pose a problem in reviving Philly areas”), writer Troy Graham explores the some of the logistical and financial difficulties inherent in such an undertaking.
About the author
Stephen Currall recently received his BA in history from Arcadia University. Before beginning doctoral studies, he is pursuing his interest in local history, specifically just how Philadelphians engage their vibrant past. Besides skimming through 18th century letters, Steve is also interested in music and travel.
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