At that intersection, I spoke of in my earlier Philadelphia post. Shane’s Metallic Blue-Silver ‘78 5-Series BMW would pull up to that particular stop sign. The windshield would fill with the night skyline of Center City. It was awesome, meant in the literal sense. The feeling of Awe struck me. I didn’t make a sound out of fear of sounding like a tourist, which would have gotten my stones broken. This was a decade and some before the FMC, Comcast, and that other new building with the ultra-bright light that dominates the other buildings’ presence at night. I remember the PFSF, One Liberty, it was magic. The rose tint of memory has emblazoned this view in my mind. This was also before cell phones were readily available to late teens and early 20-somethings. Phones certainly didn’t have cameras built into them yet. This was long enough ago the mere mention of a camera being built into your phone would have made you sound like a gibbering idiot.
Having read a guide on Philadelphia architecture, the sport of architecture aficionado-ing seems to include (figuratively) defecating on certain designs and architects. I’ll do my best to refrain. The skyline is what it is. That doesn’t mean there isn’t still magic to be experienced by those among us seeing it for the first time. It’s just not the Philadelphia of my youth. Bemoan all you like, the only constant is change. Like vintage 1970s BMWs can develop transmission problems, buildings need to be built and old ones need to be torn down. The replacement of My Philadelphia is inevitable. I’m enjoying the memories and the view that stirs them while all three of us are still here.
To me, cities are monuments to the momentum of hope. William Penn and his surveyor probably thought this would be a good spot to get raw materials in and out of port. Plus, they’d be able to do so with religious freedom they couldn’t find in Europe. The very existence of the city represents that hope of exchange. This hope carries the desire for prosperity. This one person’s vision clear-cut the land for the burgeoning settlement to transform into a cultural and intellectual hub. Thus attracting more hopeful people.
What we see when we look at the skyline is the reaching of human endeavor. The architects and ironworkers create beacons for the ambitious to navigate by. Their forms are ladders for the hopeful to climb carrying their own hopes and ambitions.
