The Residents of the 2500 Block of Meredith Street

Philadelphia, PA J9130

 

 

 

10 March 2003

 

Mr. George Ross

Manager of Capital Projects

Philadelphia Museum of Art

2525 Pennsylvania Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19130

 

Re:          Renovation of the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building

2/19/03 & 2/27/03 Design Review Meeting Comments

 

Dear Mr. Ross:

 

Our neighborhood would like to thank you and the Art Museum for the opportunity to meet and discuss your preliminary plans for the renovation and addition to the Perelman Building. The drawings and materials you presented at our meeting on 19 February and again at the Fairmount Civic Association meeting on 27 February reflect a strong, neighborly, and largely effective effort on the Museum's part to address the concerns we expressed to you in March of last year.

 

As your project team completes the schematic phase of design and begins a more detailed development of the plans. we respectfully request that you continue to consider the specific neighborhood concerns outlined in our 3 March 2002 letter as they relate to both our block and the 2500 block of Olive Street. We also encourage you to continue to work with the two homeowners and the cafe' on Olive to develop strategies for the addition that maximize transparency and add architectural and/or programmatic interest at the corner of Olive and 25th Streets.

 

We hope that there will be another opportunity for you to share your progress with us before you move into the final phase of design. At that time, we would hope to be able to discuss more specific building and site topics including the location of louvers and service access points in the north elevation of the addition, parking lot lighting, fencing & planting plans, and possible improvements to the gate and streetscape at the corner of Meredith and 26th Streets. We would also like to ask you to continue to consider how best to maintain an open dialogue between the Museum and our neighborhood once the construction phase of the project begins.

 

Thank you again for the opportunity to participate in the shaping of a building that will offer so much vitality and improvement to our Fairmount community. We very much appreciate your continued receptiveness to our concerns and look forward to the opportunity to speak with you again soon.

 

Regards,

 

 

 

The Residents of the 2500 Block of Meredith Street

 

Contact:   Kevin or V'ivian Rasmussen

2526 Meredith Street

Philadelphia, PA 19130

(215) 769-7034

suras@comcast net

 

cc:           Ms. Anne d 'Harnoncourt, Museum Director Ms. Gail Harrity, Chief Operating Officer Mr Robert Morrone, Director of Facilities and Operations