Fabulous Garden 16th and Kater

[lee]

I understand that the garden stretching from 17th to 16th on Kater was a concession to the neighborhood by the developer building the fronting garage, right?

But who designed the garden? Who keeps it up? Where does the water source come from?

That garden is absolutely spectacular in every way. It obviously was carefully designed and is carefully tended. It also has some extreme water source -- many of the plants survive in only bog conditions. Yesterday I saw a lotus blooming (a lotus!), a wonderful miniature cat tail and a sagittaria -- these plants need extreme wet conditions to thrive, and they were thriving.

I was in my car when I passed. I plan to go on foot in the next day or so.

[Lolly]

Thanks for the reminder, I haven't walked past that garden in quite some time.

From what I understand, yes, it was a concession made with Graduate Hospital way back when the garage went up. Then if I recall correctly, when GH closed and Penn took over, they sold the bulding on the corner and the new owners agreed to allow the garden to stay (though apparently there was nothing in the deed mandating they do so).

At that time I remember a big brouhaha at a SOSNA Zoning Committee meeting when the new owners presented their plans to take just a very small fraction of the garden away to build a dumpster enclosure. My take at the time was it seemed a good opportunity for the garden tenders on Kater Street to get some more concessions for free, like irrigation. (They were dragging hoses across the street at that time.) I thought all offers were rejected but perhaps not, maybe they did negotiate something after all?

[lee]

So, Lolly, the folks on that block of Kater care for the garden? Someone is really knowledgeable about plants there.

[londoner]

It's the 1700 block of Kater, and it sure looks like residents to me. It also appears to be at least 2 different caretakers as i've noticed 2 different men tending to the garden on opposite ends of the block. They drag the hoses across from their homes...i wouldn't be surprised if each home on the block contributes a nominal annual fee to pay for the water.

Unfortunately the portion of the garage which faces the most street and pedestrian traffic on South and 17th street does not look so nice...I'm pretty sure every window is tagged, and there's been what can only be described as crappy street art hanging there for quite some time.

Are we sure that PENN does not own the garage still? Once the new development sprouts up on the long vacant NW corner of 17th and South, it'd be a shame to have the corner's biggest eyesore be a building owned and maintained by a multi-billion dollar organization...

[VWPHILLY]

Penn still own's the garage......Not to long ago (last year) my engineering firm did a report and plans to turn that corner area at 17th and south into a data-center for them. I do not know what ever happend to that but I did see some work being done to the garage so maybe they are going foward with it????

[Lolly]

This is the building and dumpster enclosure I was talking about, that was sold off. It's on the 18th Street corner, sort of behind the garage (which I do believe is still owned by Penn).