Drexel Master Plan

The venerable Armory on Drexel’s campus will soon undergo exterior renovations. It holds an important position in American military history and in the evolution of the streetcar suburb. Here are an interior view of troops training in the Drill Hall in 1917, and an exterior view of automobiles and trolley lines along Lancaster Avenue in 1931: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com//12/flash-back-fri/

Demolition is in progress at Drexel’s Korman Center in preparation for creating a temporary entrance to be used while the expansion of the Korman Center lobby is under construction: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com//08/11/breaking-ro/

Construction is in progress in Drexel’s largest teaching auditorium. The following image shows provisions for access to the stage. Seating is scheduled to arrive September 6th: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com///stein-auditorium/

The golden age of aerial photography coincided with the construction of 30th Street Station, as commercial uses expanded for fixed-wing aircraft. This 1931 photograph of 30th Street Station under construction includes the Main Building of the Drexel Institute of Technology on the right edge of the image in the 3 o’clock position: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com//flashback-friday-2/

The first construction progress photograph taken on the Drexel campus by a drone took place yesterday at Vue32, the joint venture between Drexel and the Radnor Property Group at the intersection of 32nd & Race Streets. The mixed-use residential and child-care development is designed by Erdy McHenry Architects and built by TN Ward: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com/2016//04/drone-shot/

The first image is of the construction fence at the site of 3675 Market Street, scheduled to open in 2017. The four dark pads in the sidewalk mark the location where 37th Street will be reintroduced to the street grid of Philadelphia after an absence of 55 years. The second image is the Sanborn map from 1962, showing the original position of 37th Street before it was vacated for construction of the University City High School: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com/20//03/37th-street/

One of the goals of Drexel’s Public Realm Master Plan is converting remainder spaces to beautiful places for public enjoyment. A great example of leftover space can be found behind North Hall at the intersection of 32nd & Cherry, where a beautiful stand of honey locusts has a parking lot and cooling tower for a backdrop. Pedestrian traffic on this section of 32nd Street is relatively light. That will change with the opening of Vue 32, making this a prime space. Just think what can be done with tables and chairs and a little screening: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com///remainder-spaces/

The latest in a series of improvements to Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center is in progress. The goal over the years has been to create an intimate arena with the features of a professional venue. This year’s biggest improvement: air conditioning. https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com//daskalakis-athlet/

Drexel’s Paul Peck Alumni Center was originally the Centennial Bank Building, designed by architect Frank Furness and built in 1876. It is pictured here in 1963. Directly across the street was the West Philadelphia train station, which occupied the Firestone site soon after Drexel Institute opened. There it remained until 1931. Drexel was a transportation-oriented campus from its beginning. https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com///flashback-friday/

The steel frame is being erected at Vue 32, the mixed-use development by the Radnor Property Group on the Drexel campus at 32nd & Race. This was a tough week to be an Iron Worker or a Roofer: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com//iron-work-at-vue-/

The boutique hotel on the Drexel campus at the corner of 33rd & Chestnut Streets is nearly closed in. All of the exterior panels and windows have been installed. The ground and second floors will be enclosed soon, and interior finishes will begin. The following photographs were taken two weeks apart: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com//the-study-at-univ/

Renovations are in progress on the 6th floor of Drexel’s Bossone Research Enterprise Center. Research laboratories for Bio-Medical Engineering are in progress. Labs are difficult to photograph because it doesn’t look like much is happening until the benches are installed. Framing is in progress for the equipment alcoves: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com//laboratories-for-/

Friday seems like a good day to stroll down memory lane. What follows is a photograph of High (Market) Street between 31st and 32nd Streets, taken in 1881, ten years before Drexel’s founding and five years after construction of the Centennial Bank Building, now the Peck Alumni Center, the second building in on the right side of the picture just below 3 o’clock: https://drexelmasterplan.wordpress.com///friday-flashback/