Developer revises Boyd Theatre redevelopment plan

Pearl Properties has revamped its design for the residential high-rise it plans at the site of Center City's Boyd Theatre after collaborating with neighbors who had criticized the developer's previous proposal.

The new plan by locally based architect Cecil Baker calls for a 32-story tower of mostly glass and aluminum that would rise above a base of off-white painted metal and limestone incorporating the historic theater's facade.

The design was released as part of Pearl's application for work at the 1910 Chestnut St. site to the Philadelphia Historical Commission's Architectural Committee, which will consider the new proposal on Tuesday.

It comes after residents of surrounding buildings in the Rittenhouse Square area took the unusual step of commissioning their own proposal for the site and persuading the developer to embrace it.

"It was essentially a bunch of neighbors saying, 'We can do better and we can do it in a collaborative way,' " said Richard Gross, who organized the effort to have the design altered. "Instead of having a lawyer sue them to stop it, we thought of having an architect fix it and make it better."

The architectural committee came down against Pearl's earlier plan for the site - consisting of a rectangular 27-story tower wrapped in red, white, and gray metal panels - in May.

Neighboring residents also slammed the proposal, saying that its design didn't live up to its prime location among historic buildings and that its massing overwhelmed nearby structures.

At a later hearing in June, the developer was granted approvals for the retail portion of the project fronting Chestnut Street, which entails the restoration of the Boyd's 1950s marquee. The shops will also include a small-format Target store.

Pearl said at that meeting that it was withdrawing its application for the tower so it could revise its plans in consultation with residents of nearby buildings, who had retained Baker at their own expense to come up with a proposal they could back.

The architect was eventually hired by the developer to be the project's lead designer.

Other changes to the plan move entrances to the building's loading docks and underground parking lot from Sansom Street to 20th Street and reduce the height of the structure where it's adjacent to shorter buildings.

Reed Slogoff, a Pearl partner, said the company worked closely with the neighborhood to come up with the plan in its current form.

"We're excited to proceed with what we think is a fantastic development at an important site in Philadelphia," he said.

jadelman@phillynews.com

215-854-2615@jacobadelman