L a s e r B e a m � wrote: >for instance, I just checked the uchs website, thinking I'd find info >about the imminent razing of convention hall (to build a penn cancer >center), but to my surprise there seemed to be nothing. the dp had 2 >recent articles (see below), but, from the articles, no one from uchs >seems to be involved, either as a commentator or protestor. odd? isn't >convention hall part of 'university city'? with historic significance? >it's got me wondering: to what extent does 'significance' have to do >with preserving a single building? with preserving certain buildings >within a district? with stemming, as some hd advocates have claimed, >penn's encroachment on the neighborhood? > >it seems that what uchs hd advocates consider to be 'historical' and >'encroachment' can be given and taken selectively, based on some >definition (whose?) of 'significance.' and it would appear, in the case >of the convention hall, that all this has more to do with some >observance of power structures than it does with definitions of >historical fact... but perhaps I'm reading this all wrong? I'm curious, >what is uchs's stand on the imminent razing of convention hall? and how >would it view penn's possible encroachment in 'non-significant' areas >of our neighborhood?
I'm also curious about UCHS's position on Convention Hall and the Commercial Museum and would very much like for the Committee to Save Convention Hall to work with them on saving these two landmarks. If anyone from UCHS is reading this, please get in touch by email. I had emailed UHCS, several weeks ago, about using some Civic Center postcard images in our campaign, but have only heard preliminarily from someone who was going to pass my request the the UCHS officers. >btw, does anyone know if the civic center museum, right next to >convention hall, will also be razed? (wasn't it an important site >during the sesquicentennial here in philly? with unique terra-cotta >surfaces? I can't remember--) In fact Penn's contractor had already begun exterior demolition on the Commercial Museum, knocking several large openings in the western wing just before thanksgiving. Then, after just a few days, they abruptly halted the exterior demolition and tightly dealed the openings, as well as all the windows in the rest of the building, with heavy tarpaulins and duct tape. It appeared that they might have sealed it to avoid dispersing loose asbestos; I can't think of another good explanation. They've since unsealed one of the openings and have been dumping interior debris down a large sloped slide. The Commercial Museum, designed by Joseph & John A. Wilson, is the sole remaining building from the National Export Exposition of 1899, an event that was essentially Philly's coming out party as a major industrial superpower. The several other structures built for the exposition were demolished within not many years later. Here's a link to more about the Commercial Museum and other exposition buildings on the Phila. Architects and Buildings site: http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display.cfm/2037 Cheers, Jay "Jayfar" Farrell Chairman Committee to Save Convention Hall -- PhilaDeco.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://PhilaDeco.com AIM: PhilaDeco ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
