The President's House on Independence Mall

[Phillyurban8]

Has anyone seen this peculiar addition to the mall? There are oddly ghosted elements of the house where Washington once resided, a pit showing the foundation of the original house topped by a high tech glass enclosure and various informational displays including a flatscreen TV mounted above a fake fireplace mantel.



It's like a Cherry Hill McMansion meets the Benjamin Franklin ghost house meets Apple's glass cube in New York City.

I don't get it. Why does Philly get weird architecture and monuments like this? It's obviously "design by committee" and what's worse is that the message is totally muddled. The NYTimes basically asked, "What the hell?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/arts/design/15museum.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=president's%20house%20 philadelphia&st=cse

[Hospitalitygirl]

Why don't you ask that of Michael Coard and his group, A.T.A.C (Avenging the Ancestors Coalition) what they think of it?

[Phillyurban8]

Why don't you ask that of Michael Coard and his group, A.T.A.C (Avenging the Ancestors Coalition) what they think of it?

Ideology aside I have major problems with what has actually been built. IMHO it's half assed.

[Bleeper]

This is nothing other than racially based political manuevering. A disgrace.

That former house had an incredible amount of Philadelphia and national history attached to it. This is arguably the most historic spot in the usa and to have the spotlight hogged by slavery which was just a morsel of this locations history is unbelievable.

I read an article that basically said Washington DC really wasnt interested in housing a Slave Monument and who can blame them. Who wants that stigma attached to their city? Anyways they pawned it off on the brothers and sisters of Philadelphia who gladly accepted. Which is fine if it were built in an ambiguous location.

But To build this Slave Monument on that piece of incredible history is a slap in the face to the historic legacy of Philadelphia.

Philadlephias lineage was the revolution and building a nation. It was one of the most anti-slavery areas of the colonies. George Washington had 700 slaves on his Mount Vernon estate, he brought 8 of them to Philadelphia. If any area should be responsible for highlighting the sad plaight of the slaves it should be Washington DC, certainly not Philadlephia which had an anti-slave agenda.

[supersupper]

Agreed (though certainly not with that bleeper fellow): this is an architectural abomination in so many ways, and the monitors above the fireplaces are truly ridiculous (ignore that 2 were displaying Microsoft error messages, one was off).

On the way home from an errand this morning I stopped by for a bit. There were quite a few people milling around and reading the plaques.

I stepped into the smoke-house to find one younger white woman deep in thought. I was also there while it was undergoing construction and even then it had a quiet contemplative vibe- That particular space is well done all things considered.

One thing the designers may not have considered is that the low walls and window frames would be inviting to bored kids, several of whom were climbing around on them. A cracked skull is inevitable.

[mixiboi]

This is nothing other than racially based political manuevering. A disgrace.

And on top of that they half-assed it. Which is kinda sad overall.


But of course without the race part, no one really gave a crap about that house, which is why its gone in the first place. Specially not the National Park Service who only cares about one place in that park....

[CHIOSSO]

Just when the mall was starting to shape up they had to plop the pile of bricks on it. It will always look unfinished.

[Bleeper]

And on top of that they half-assed it. Which is kinda sad overall.


But of course without the race part, no one really gave a crap about that house, which is why its gone in the first place. Specially not the National Park Service who only cares about one place in that park....

$10.5 M dollar project should have a little more physical substance to it.

Why not build a replica of the house and exhibit its entire history?

The house was originally built for William Penns grandson and his new bride.

The Top British General Howe lived there when they took over Philadlephia.

Benedict Arnold lived there when the British fled Philadelphia.

Robert Morris(Financier of the Revolution) arguably the most important person of the revolution lived there.

Then George Washington and John Adams used it as the Presidenst House while the capital was in Philadelphia.Washington brought 1 % of his slaves with him from his Mount Vernon estate. Adams kept no slaves.

So with that incredible history how does this critical piece of Philadlephia and American Revolutionary history become overwhelmingly skewed towards a Slave Monument?

[cugat]

$10.5 M dollar project should have a little more physical substance to it.

Why not build a replica of the house and exhibit its entire history?

The house was originally built for William Penns grandson and his new bride.

The Top British General Howe lived there when they took over Philadlephia.

Benedict Arnold lived there when the British fled Philadelphia.

Robert Morris(Financier of the Revolution) arguably the most important person of the revolution lived there.

Then George Washington and John Adams used it as the Presidenst House while the capital was in Philadelphia.Washington brought 1 % of his slaves with him from his Mount Vernon estate. Adams kept no slaves.

So with that incredible history how does this critical piece of Philadlephia and American Revolutionary history become overwhelmingly skewed towards a Slave Monument?

Yeah, why another slave monument? We have enough of those already. There's that one...over there,...and...the point is, I wish it could be something like a monument to the constitution, the thing that said we're all created equal, and not dwell on the fact that the guys who wrote it had slaves. In conclusion, they didn't consult me on the design of this place and they shold have because I have awesome ideas.

[Bleeper]

Just when the mall was starting to shape up they had to plop the pile of bricks on it. It will always look unfinished.

So true.

Independence Mall is quite underwhelming. The wasted space between Independence Hall and The Constitution Center is unnecessary.

I liked the idea of Market Street between 5th + 6th being finished with faux colonial development. A replica of the Presidents House would have been a good first step.

Imagine being able to sit atop a 4th story restaurant deck on Market Street having a drink and staring at Independence Hall in one direction and the Constitution Center in the other direction.

Independence Hall is the greatest cultural icon of the USA, take advantage of it. After dusk it basically disappears.

[mixiboi]

Like I said, the only thing they care about is that Hall in the background.

Without the slave angle, they probably wouldn't even bother(That was supposed to be where the Security entrence was supposed to be when you want to go see the Liberty Bell and the the Hall.)

At lease they did an archeological dig on the site...

[Bleeper]

Like I said, the only thing they care about is that Hall in the background.

Without the slave angle, they probably wouldn't even bother(That was supposed to be where the Security entrence was supposed to be when you want to go see the Liberty Bell and the the Hall.)

At lease they did an archeological dig on the site...

Does Philadelphia have any say in what goes on at the Mall?

If say Gerry Lenfest went to Rendell and said he wants to donate $100 M to make Market Street between 5th + 6th look exactly like it did 200 years ago. Could they do that or is that real estate completely out of their control?

[Phillyurban8]

OH, MY GAWD!!!

I went by Independence Mall today and took a look for myself.

WHAT A HOT MESS!!! It's like a bad suburban house! Within 25 feet there are THREE flat screen TVs mounted above fake fireplace mantels. Each TV is blaring its own narrative and on top of that there are speakers in some of the the knee walls, each with their own recording.

I couldn't tell what was coming out of the wall speakers because the TVs were too damn loud! Two TVs were definitely too close as well. It was sheer cacophony! I couldn't get out of there fast enough!

Geez, Louise all you need is hard-of-hearing grandpa in his Lazy Boy rocker and some plaid couches and the picture is complete!

Seriously, someone needs to get the designers over there pronto and figure out how to salvage this embarrassing mess.

[mixiboi]

Does Philadelphia have any say in what goes on at the Mall?

I beleive we got zero say in it, when THEY(The Park) closed down Chesnut St between 5th and 6th st after 9/11 it for what? About 5 years? It took the City, Street, Nutter, and Rendell to get them to reopen it a long while...


And Remember their idea of building a EIGHTEEN FOOT FENCE AROUND the ENTIRE park? Ugh....That took the will of the entire city for them not to turn 4 city blocks of Philly into IndependanceLand(Disneyland)....

[Hospitalitygirl]

I beleive we got zero say in it, when THEY(The Park) closed down Chesnut St between 5th and 6th st after 9/11 it for what? About 5 years? It took the City, Street, Nutter, and Rendell to get them to reopen it a long while...


And Remember their idea of building a fence around the ENTIRE park? Ugh....That took the will of the entire city for them not to turn 4 city blocks of Philly into IndependanceLand(Disneyland)....

You understand.

It's Federal Land. The citizens of Philadelphia have no sway here. Unless you scream racism and file lawsuits.

[supersupper]

Kelly/Maiello Architects & Planners are a Philadelphia Firm.

This Stephen Salisbury article might be of interest as regards to the blame game:
President's House design criticized


Back to the architecture- confusing to me was that the bow window foundation is represented above by an a octagon, and therefore totally masking the importance and interest of that particular discovery.

[ArcticSplash]

You know something about a public works sucks really, really bad when you see loads of people agreeing with Inga Saffron.

There could have been a slave memorial on this site, or on the green east of the site--wherever, but this cheap contraption that was put up [the materials are CHEEEP]. This is going to be torn down in 15 years.



And the outdoor TVs are LAME. I am not a fan of the Jewish History Museum's architecture either or that it puts up an ugly blank wall to the Mall, but THIS thing is hideously bad. Bad enough that I fear this thing will make us a laughing stock to tourists.

I've been to a lot of national monuments... they take THOUGHT and very careful planning to last. Have any of you guys been to the visitor's center at Mount Rushmore? That building is absolutely fantastic. It's timeless and stunning and you are swept up in amazement. This piece of crap on the lawn is a disgrace to Washington, and the remembrance of slavery.



Joe and Martha History Tourist visiting Philadelphia from Canton, OH are going to come back home and tell their friends how hilarious that outdoor exhibit is. I know everybody thinks Colonial Williamsburg is stupid and tawdry, and we expect that an exact reproduction of Washington's house might not be an option for the site, but this thing???

[MarketStEl]

This is nothing other than racially based political manuevering. A disgrace.

That former house had an incredible amount of Philadelphia and national history attached to it. This is arguably the most historic spot in the usa and to have the spotlight hogged by slavery which was just a morsel of this locations history is unbelievable.

I read an article that basically said Washington DC really wasnt interested in housing a Slave Monument and who can blame them. Who wants that stigma attached to their city? Anyways they pawned it off on the brothers and sisters of Philadelphia who gladly accepted. Which is fine if it were built in an ambiguous location.

But To build this Slave Monument on that piece of incredible history is a slap in the face to the historic legacy of Philadelphia.

Philadlephias lineage was the revolution and building a nation. It was one of the most anti-slavery areas of the colonies. George Washington had 700 slaves on his Mount Vernon estate, he brought 8 of them to Philadelphia. If any area should be responsible for highlighting the sad plaight of the slaves it should be Washington DC, certainly not Philadlephia which had an anti-slave agenda.

This is a complete misstatement of history. The contretemps over the site of the President's House had nothing to do with anything going on in Washington beyond the National Park Service's desire to build a more accommodating and protective home for the Liberty Bell. Aside from that, it was purely homegrown.

And even if you think slavery gets too much play here, shame on you for ignoring the Genesis element: Slavery is the apple eaten by the American Adam, the blot on our lofty ideals. Others recognized this even at the time, viz. Samuel Johnson's mordant comment about "the yelps for liberty issuing from the drivers of Negroes." I don't have much truck for Michael Coard, but I think the point IS relevant - and the controversy helped reshape the narrative told in the next-door Liberty Bell pavilion. The bell became a national icon, BTW, only after abolitionists adopted it as a symbol.

Now back to the installation: Guess I'd better go read Ms. Saffron, though I can't imagine her saying anything particularly revelatory that that New York Times writeup didn't already say. This is indeed a botch of a great opportunity - it probably would have been far better to just leave the platform erected for viewing of the archaeological dig in place and surround it with plaques and maybe a video display or two.

BTW: None of the land or buildings managed by the National Park Service here is owned by the Federal government, except maybe the new Liberty Bell pavilion. Independence Hall, Old City Hall, the former Philadelphia County Court House, Independence and Washington* squares and the bell itself all remain property of the City of Philadelphia. Independence Mall itself is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which cleared the land beginning in 1954. The Carpenters' Company and the American Philosophical Society still owns their respective halls as well. But come to think of it, I don't know who owns the First and Second Banks of the United States.

*Management of Washington Square was transferred from the Fairmount Park Commission to the National Park Service in 2008, thus making it formally part of Independence National Historical Park.

[DCnPhilly]

This looks like an unfinished McMansion. At least that tacky Franklin House shadow is hidden down an alley. What a mess. And flat screens over the fireplaces? I don't get it. I would have rather them built a recreation of what they kind of thought the house looked like to serve as a traditional museum and a nice anchor to the Mall. If not, they could have just outlined the house on the ground. As it is it just looks like a half built Toll Brothers house. I don't understand the philosophy behind the incomplete house other than that the architects might have thought it kind of looked cool.

[Insoluble]

At lease they did an archeological dig on the site...

I remember when they were doing the excavation it was actually rather interesting. They should have just glasses this over and left it as is. That would have been better than the permanently under construction look they went for.

This is indeed a botch of a great opportunity - it probably would have been far better to just leave the platform erected for viewing of the archaeological dig in place and surround it with plaques and maybe a video display or two.

Yes, something like this would have been preferable.

It almost makes you want to go out and buy some generic looking couches and dining room set and drag them over to the mall to complete the Toll brother McMansion look. Do you think anyone would notice?