WRT, the architect for Brighter Hope, a partnership of the Goldenberg Group and Bright Hope Baptist Church, is designing a mixed-use project at the former John Wanamaker Middle School in Philadelphia. The project includes student housing for Temple University as well as renovation of an existing gym and auditorium into a "green technologies training center" and a charter school.
"Building within and on top of this former school we are breaking through a lot of walls, floors, and boundaries between people (students, educators, and neighbors)—as well as uses (residential, academic, and commercial)," explains Gil Rosenthal, the WRT principal in charge for the project.
"The lively public realm and mix of uses envisioned for this project take full advantage of its fortunate location between Temple University and the neighborhood—and between multiple regional rail lines and the Broad Street subway—to create a vibrant transit-oriented development at this significant town & gown location," said Antonio Fiol-Silva, a principal at WRT involved in the project's design.
A front-page story regarding the project was featured in the July 8, 2009 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
