 |
Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia |
|
Article in Philadelphia Business Journal Philadelphia’s Redevelopment Authority, which maintains a land bank of The RDA has a goal to sell more properties annually and by doing so transform vacant buildings or land back into revenue generators that also have the potential to enhance a neighborhood. For years, it has sold about 60 parcels annually; it wants to double that number. The agency’s typical approach to selling properties has been passive. It simply notes on its Web site that it has city-owned land and buildings it wants to sell. For the pilot program, it enlisted the help of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors to see if there would be any value in having agents sell the property instead. The program was based on one used in Baltimore called Selling City Owned Property Efficiently, or SCOPE. Baltimore officials decide when they want to sell some of the properties the city owns and lists them through precertified real estate agents in the area. “I think we’re at the very early stage of something that could be very lucractive for the city, especially when it has fiscal issues,” said Al Perry, president of the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors. “It’s time for the city to liquidate some its real estate for a profit, get it back on its tax rolls and in some cases, help transform neighborhoods.” The Realtors group has been lobbying the city since 2004 to liquidate some of the excess real estate it has. To see the article go to : http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2009/05/18/story5.html?surround=etf Press Releases Philadelphia , Pennsylvania – The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority announces that, in recognition of the Redevelopment Authority's and the City's Percent for Art Programs, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown will present to City Council a resolution recognizing the 50th Anniversary of both programs on Thursday April 23rd at 10am. Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 The Redevelopment Authority Percent for Art Program was announced in March of 1959 by Chairman Michael von Moschzisker in a speech to the National Conference of Editorial Writers. Chairman von Moschzisker told the writers that his hope was that they would “spread the message that the fine arts must be returned to American architecture; that sterility and her handmaiden, monotony, must be banished from our avenues; and that the artist must be returned to the American scene instead of just having his works… in art galleries and museums.” In the first half century since the inception of the Redevelopment Authority’s Percent for Art Program, more than 350 works of public art have been installed in all areas of Philadelphia. Works of public art can be found in such diverse developments as high-rise commercial and residential towers, housing for families and the elderly, shopping plazas, parks, industrial plants, hotels, universities, schools and libraries. “When the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority pioneered the Percent for Fine Arts Program in 1959, it become the first program in the United States to make the commissioning of fine arts an integral part of the urban renewal process. Mayor Michael Nutter, Chair of the Redevelopment Authority Board, encourages the Percent for Art program to continue to fulfill its obligation to make our city a place that we can be proud of – a place where art and architecture exist in harmony with both the city and also the public ," said Terry Gillen, Executive Director of the Redevelopment Authority. Active Percent for Art Program projects include the new Federal Reserve Bank Annex and the new Dranoff Properties project at 777 South Broad Street. The Redevelopment Authority is also working with the City’s Percent for Art program to sponsor a student photography exhibition scheduled for fall 2009. The Redevelopment Authority’s Percent for Art Program requires that redevelopers who build on land acquired from and assembled by the Redevelopment Authority must budget at least one percent of the total building construction costs toward the commissioning of original, site-specific works of art. Recently completed Percent for Art projects include "Wave Forms" by Dennis Oppenheim (Domus Building 34th & Chestnut Street), "Plateau" by Andrea Blum (University of Pennsylvania, 40th & Walnut Streets), "Open Air Aquarium" By Magdalena Abakanowicz (Dockside, Columbus Boulevard), and "Goldilocks" by Ming Fay (Tivoli Building, 20th & Hamilton Streets). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – The Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia announced today that Julia Guerrero has joined the Redevelopment Authority as the Director of the Fine Arts Program. She will be responsible for the Redevelopment Authority’s precedent-setting Percent for Arts Program as well as the Advisory Board of Design. Thursday, February 24th, 2009 " We are delighted to have Julia join us at the Redevelopment Authority. Her knowledge of art and architecture will be a tremendous asset to us as we grow our Fine Arts Program," said Terry Gillen, Executive Director of the Redevelopment Authority. Ms. Guerrero comes to the Redevelopment Authority with an impressive resume as a member of the architectural staff at Tsirantonakis & Associates Architects, where she worked on numerous projects in Center City. She received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at the Cooper Union in New York City. Active Fine Arts Program projects include the new Federal Reserve Bank Annex and the new Dranoff Development project at 777 South Broad Street. The Redevelopment Authority is also in the planning phase for a series of temporary public art projects. The Redevelopment Authority's Percent for Art Program requires that redevelopers who build on land acquired from and assembled by the Redevelopment Authority must budget at least one percent of the total building construction costs toward the commissioning of original, site-specific works of art. To date, over 400 public art projects have been installed under the Fine Arts Program. Other recently completed Fine Arts projects are "Wave Forms" by Dennis Oppenheim (Domus Building 34th & Chestnut Street), "Plateau" by Andrea Blum (University of Pennsylvania, 40th & Walnut Streets), "Open Air Aquarium" by Magdalena Abakanowicz (Dockside, Columbus Boulevard), and "Goldilocks" by Ming Fay (Tivoli Building, 20th & Hamilton Streets). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania –The Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia (RDA) announced that four large banners by Alexander Calder will be on display to the public for the first time in almost 30 years. Thursday, January 8th, 2009 Originally commissioned by the RDA under the One Percent for Fine Arts Program, for Centre Square in 1975, the banners were removed during a renovation in the early 1980’s and put into storage. They were subsequently lost and may have remained so were it not for the efforts of many people, including the two former Directors of RDA’s Fine Arts Program, Mary Kilroy and Susan Davis. Alongside former and current Free Library Directors Elliot Shelkrot and Siobhan A. Reardon, Davis also arranged a temporary exhibition space at the Free Library. The dyed cotton and silk banners were created by Alexander Calder (with sewing by Sheila Hicks) in 1975. Four of the original eight banners Calder designed for Centre Square, ranging in size from 4'-0" by 18'-5”to 6'-0" by 18'-2”, are on temporary display in the lobby and café corridor of the Parkway Central Free Library. The four others are currently in storage at Centre Square. "We are delighted that this great work of art will again be on display for the public to experience. This is a historic exhibition and the result of a great collaboration between the RDA and the Free Library," says Terry Gillen, Executive Director of the RDA. "The Parkway Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia system is thrilled to be exhibiting four of the glorious Calder banners for the first time in almost 30 years,”says Sandra Horrocks, Vice President of Communications and Development at the Free Library of Philadelphia. “The banners are installed in the Library’s main lobby which faces the Swann Memorial fountain designed by Calder’s father, bringing another generation of the creative Calder family to the Parkway. We are grateful to HRPT Properties Trust, Inc.,owners of Centre Square, for lending the banners to the Library for the public to enjoy." A reception to honor this presentation will be held at the Free Library of Philadelphia, Tuesday, Jan. 13th, 2009 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. The RDA’s Percent for Art Program requires that redevelopers who build on land acquired from and assembled by the RDA must budget at least one percent of the total building construction costs toward the commissioning of original, site-specific works of art. To date, over 400 public art projects have been installed under the Fine Arts Program. Other recently completed Fine Arts projects are "Wave Forms" by Dennis Oppenheim (Domus Building 34th & Chestnut Street), "Plateau" by Andrea Blum (University of Pennsylvania, 40th & Walnut Streets), "Open Air Aquarium" By Magdalena Abakanowicz (Dockside, Columbus Boulevard), and "Goldilocks" by Ming Fay (Tivoli Building, 20th & Hamilton Streets). ### |
|
Access to Public Records |