The Point, a Bryn Mawr coffeehouse that offers live music, and Kildare's, an Irish-themed pub and restaurant, formed a joint venture to put in a Kildare's restaurant and a 350-seat entertainment venue that many liken to the old Valley Forge Music Fair in the Foundry.
--Philadelphia Business Journal - June 3, 2005 by Natalie Kostelni, Staff Writer
Anyone remember the local charlatan who was touting this delusion two years ago?
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
–George Santayana
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7 comments:
I believe it was Charlatans (plural) not singular. I remember those big plans and even bigger falling out. Has anyone seen any work going on inside the building? Have the new owners applied for any permits?
I thought there was a wonderful moment at the 8/14 Council Meeting where Mr. Cassidy asks what Council wanted him to do and that it is not in his nature to sit around and do nothing. I thought it was great that not one person brought up that if there is no official duty for this asslick to do, perhaps he should not expect a check.
this was being talked about when my wife and I moved here. anyone care to expand upon what really happened? All that I remember reading was that the owner of Kildare's backed out but, at least from the post and response #1, it appears there is a lot more to the story.
To JW:
All I know is what I read in the paper. See the excerpt below:
Second, throughout the years of PAEDCO's direction of the Foundry's renovations, the very uses for it proposed last Thursday - restaurant, tavern, performance space - have been, along with the visitors' center already in place, those uses most favored for the building. The purposes served by the proposal from Phoenix Foundry Partners Dick Tucker and Steven Clofine were, that is, the
purposes we wanted served; the proposal was the one we wanted to see.
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Which leads me to a fifth and final element in this. "Thorough" and "thoughtful," in truth, do scant justice to those plans. The space is managed masterfully, certainly in relation to the uses for which it provides, but also and most importantly in relation to the Foundry itself.
–G. E. Lawrence in The Phoenix, October 31, 2005
If we are having a parking problem in town and the foundry is empty could we use it as an indoor parking garage? How many cars could we park in there, lets charge a small fee to park in there, I am sure we can find places to spend the money. Yes I know I am going to be hung for even suggesting such a thing.
What is going on at the Foundry now? After Hanlin (sp?) bought it earlier this year, he said his company would have its 2007 Christmas party there, but it doesn't appear any work has been done down there.
At the 8/14 meeting, there were comments between Council and the CDC that there were meetings with the state about the Foundry (because Anthony went and Barry didn't) -- what happened at these meetings? What plans are being discussed?
Now that a developer has purchased the property (for much, much less than the state spent to rehab it to date), why is the state looking to pour even more money into the site?
The only public funding that would come for the Foundry would be monies that would be allocated to the Schuylkill River Heritage Center, which is located inside the Foundry.
Remember, Bob Hankin is a private owner, he doesn't have to adhere to any timetable or schedule. He thought the building would be completed for their Christmas party. If it won't, so what. He owns it. If he wants to keep it empty for the next 60 years, he has that right.
Don't misdirect your frustrations at The Hankin Group when the real issue seems to be the huge pricetag to rehab the building only to have it sold for a fraction of that cost. That decision was made by the Phoenixville Area Economic Development Corporation.
As for Kildare's, Dave Magrogan didn't have either the money to move here or the balls to tell Clofine and Tucker that he couldn't afford it. He just stopped returning phone calls.
If the only public money going to the Foundry was to the Hertiage Center, then why are so many Council folks involved and Barry and Anthony arguing over who gets to represent the project to the state? The Hertiage Center just isn't that big of a project to warrent all this attention.
I agree the Foundry was sold way, way, way too cheap but is that anything other than water under the French Creek footbridge at this point?
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