Update and Reflection

We continue to attract talented people to the Destination Frankford team. We recently hired Marsha Moss as our public art consultant. As Director of Sculpture Outdoors, Marsha curated over fifty exhibitions on public and alternative sites -- in the air and on water, atop urban rooftops and along sidewalks, at college campuses, city parks, and corporate plazas -- within Philadelphia and across the country.

Last week we visited a potential site for our Globe Dye Works pop-up shop right under Margaret-Orthodox Station. The location couldn’t be more central. We also got our first mock ups from our web design team. We were blown away by how great they looked. We are only one month away from going live at www.destinationfrankford.com.

Recent Wins

Destination Frankford partner Globe Dye Works has been awarded a $17,000 Stormwater Management Incentives Program (SMIP) grant from the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) to capture and reuse rainwater. Globe Dye Works proposes to capture rainwater in an existing tank and reuse for processes within the building. Project benefits include a reduction in runoff volume to the PWD combined sewer and a reduction in potable water demand for Globe Dye Works.

The vacant New Frankford Y at 4704 Leiper Street has been chosen as one of three buildings for inclusion in the GRAY AREA project. GRAY AREA is a planning project consisting of in-depth dialogue and study to test preliminary interpretation, design, and reuse strategies that go beyond preservation orthodoxy for three Philadelphia properties of architectural, cultural, and/or historical significance and that have the potential to serve as catalysts for revitalization in their communities. GRAY AREA will examine new approaches to historic preservation that could be replicable elsewhere in Philadelphia and other older cities. The project is funded by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage (PCAH) under the auspices of the University of the Arts.

Also known as the Bromley-Garsed Mansion, the historic brownstone mansion was acquired in 1941 by the Young Women’s Christian Association for use as a neighborhood center. In 2009, budget shortfalls forced the New Frankford Y to close, ending 68 years of community service, and threatening the future of one of the neighborhood’s most distinctive buildings.

Insight/Provocation

When we wrote our application to ArtPlace, we questioned if we were spreading ourselves too thin by proposing so many different projects (public art, signage, pop-up shop, events, website, etc.) under the umbrella of Destination Frankford. However, as we continue to plan for these projects, we are attracting more talented people to our team and learning of more projects in Frankford that fall under the umbrella of Creative Placemaking. As we move forward, we will look for every opportunity to partner with and promote other Creative Placemaking projects in Frankford to help us accomplish our goal of creating a distinctive, clear image of Frankford as a place for creative, entrepreneurial businesses.