South Street Bridge

I was on a road trip this weekend that took me around the Capitol Beltway and across the D.C. area's new Woodrow Wilson Bridge. I don't want to sell Philadelphia short and I'm leery of drawing comparisons between such a massive, federally funded endeavor and a localized project like the South Street Bridge.

I also loathe giving D.C. credit when it comes to architecture, especially when compared to Philadelphia. Sure, the Nation's Capitol is home to some seriously impressive monuments to the gods of Democracy, but in a lot of ways the area's transient nature has littered the metropolitan area with uninspired developments for those who call D.C., Maryland, or Virginia a bed and not a home.

While our Center City is home to a few Soviet style blocks of apartments, apartment blocks like the Kennedy House and those along City Line Avenue are the norm in D.C., even in today's construction. It's actually ironic that a city that governs one of the largest capitalistic Democracies in the world looks more like Moscow in the 80's than a bastion of consumerism like New York or Chicago. Without going on a political aside, I'm sure it has to do with the fact that much of the area is built with government money and not private investment.

While the improvements over its predecessor include a bike lane and sidewalk, the Woodrow Wilson Bridge is in itself about as exciting as an Annandale McMansion (not to mention it shares the South's obsession with long, concrete spans in lieu of sky scraping suspension bridges), the drawbridge's control tower is absolutely beautiful. Finished in a sepia toned brushed aluminum, the glass and metal tower is turned like an Art Deco era Hudson facing the wind head on with no hesitation. In fact, the only thing about the control tower that isn't completely flawless is the fact that it's designed isn't echoed in the rest of the bridge.

When I crossed the bridge, I immediately thought of the four towers that stand atop the new South Street Bridge and what could have been. While I don't think the South Street Bridge is terrible, the Woodrow Wilson control tower demonstrates how, with just a little more creativity, it could have been so much better.

Obviously South Street's towers do not need the structural elements that Woodrow Wilson required. But by comparison, the materials and angles use on South Street just seem lackluster. Our lighting scheme is at least interesting, but architecturally, spotlights should be used to highlight great design, not replace it.

I don't think we're in Philadelphia anymore, Toto...

A decade or two ago, were you to wander towards the Schuylkill from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, you would find what you'd expect from a once great city damaged by decades of mismanagement. The grand Victorian gardens were overgrown with weeds, paths through the hillside were crumbling, and the river's shore was littered with garbage.

But somehow the Schuylkill Banks projects and the Philadelphia Museum of Art have managed to become iconic, successful public spaces that would make any First Class city jealous. And they're not even done. 

What is most amazing about the transformation in this aesthetically dramatic part of town, is that it has taken place not only in a city known for pissing away money on projects that don't move, but that it continues to progress in spite of a dreadful economy.

As an international crowd of tourists climb through the rocky gardens behind the museum, few know that the metal gazebo they're taking pictures from is a replica of a wooden gazebo that once stood in the same spot a century ago. The dedicated attention to detail and respect for the history of this space is astounding. 

Those managing these projects need to be managing our city.

Just beyond the renovated Waterworks, right before Boat House Row lies a small, relatively inaccessible island. As you walk towards Lloyd Hall from Waterworks, you would notice it behind the small algae laden inlet. OLIN has designed a new park for the island adding a small foot bridge for access. The project will be completed in 2013.

One of the most exciting projects along the Schuylkill River is the Boardwalk. To be completed in 2013 as well, the Schuylkill River Trail will continue beyond Locust Street as a 15 foot wide pier on the river complete with access to the new South Street Bridge.

What I have finally discovered about these beautiful spaces is that the Schuylkill River does not have to be solely enjoyed from its banks. Above or below the dam, launching a kayak is a piece of cake, and the water isn't nearly as disgusting as its reputation would lead you to believe. 

Naturally, as more and more people realize what a wonder resource these spaces have become, they will attract more and more crowds. It's a universal truth any urbanite must come to accept. Of course there are ways to address any potential overcrowding. Put the brilliant minds designing and managing the successes along the Schuylkill River to work on the massive banks of the Delaware.