Morning Headlines: 84 Percent Endorse iPic’s Plan for the Boyd

Well, 84 percent of Philly mag readers, that is. The Historical Commission is less sure.

Google Street view of the Boyd Theatre.

Yesterday, Philly mag conducted a poll that asked the question: “Is it time to tear down the Boyd?” A startling 84 percent of respondents said, “Yes, it’s time for a new beginning.”

But the actual decision-making entity, the Philadelphia Historical Commission, tabled the vote yesterday until Friday, February 14th.

According to the Inquirer, longtime champions for the Boyd’s conservation are livid and believe it was “a lack of patience and public will” that resulted in inadequate maintenance and lost preservation opportunities. Friends of the Boyd President Howard Haas pointed to similar situations that ended successfully, saying, “almost every major U.S. city has a restored downtown movie palace.”

Should the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s Valentine’s Day verdict favor demolition and subsequent redevelopment, developer Neal Rodin (of the new Whole Foods complex on 22nd Street) would start from the inside out:

“gut the auditorium of the single-screen movie palace, and replace the art deco interior […] with a two-story, eight-screen multiplex with reserved seating and a high-dining wing to be run by iPic.
[…] restore the Boyd’s badly obscured Chestnut Street facade.”

More info on the Boyd:
Is It Time to Tear Down the Boyd Theater? [Philadelphia Magazine]
Boyd Theater remains in limbo as hearing recesses without vote [Inquirer]

And in other news…

Could Comcast’s New Tower Hurt the Commercial Real Estate Market? [Philadelphia Magazine]

Mayor Nutter, City Officials to Launch New L&I Database System [City of Philadelphia’s News & Alerts]

PGCB picks over Provence proposal at public hearing [Philadelphia Real Estate Blog]

PCPC reviews plans for Central Northeast, Lower North neighborhoods [PlanPhilly]

Pa., Philly lead the U.S. in bank branch closings [Philadelphia Business Journal]

Revised Mt. Sinai proposal calls for shorter townhomes, more parking [Passyunk Post]