The 5280 Senior Residences project, now known as 16 Penn Residences, is complete. Today we are taking a final look at this 99-home community for people 55 years or older. For our previous posts on this infill project in the Uptown district, click here.
Corner of 16th Avenue and Pennsylvania Street:
Main entry along Pennsylvania Street and the view looking south from near 17th Avenue:
This project is a nice addition to the neighborhood and replaced a surface parking lot that covered the entire site. Welcome to Uptown, 16 Penn Residences!
God forbid they plant a couple of trees or hire a signage designer…
According to the project’s landscape plan submitted to the city, they will be planting 11 deciduous canopy trees in the tree lawn along with evergreen and deciduous shrubs, ornamental grasses, and other perennials. Between the sidewalk and the building will be a few dozen evergreen trees and annuals.
The project opened in the winter when planting isn’t advised.
Why am I so disappointed with 80% of the final updates? Why do so many new apartment buildings look so flimsy and cheap at the end of the day? What’s with the spindly brick pilaster on the corner?…and the balconies? Hold a finger up to block out the balconies and you will see how much better it could have looked. I really thought this one would turn out ok but am disappointed.
I think what bothers me the most about projects like this is that it does have some redeeming qualities… but those are then overshadowed by the same cookie-cutter jank as all the other cheaply made projects.
On this project I was excited about the look of the brick on the lower portion, but then look up just a few feet and we see questionable color schemes and a top-half with cheap stucco that makes the building appear incomplete (Alexan Uptown is IMO the most notable offender of this).
In all seriousness to any developers who read this blog: if you’re going to add brick or other higher-quality materials in the lower half, finish the job and apply it to the entire building. The end result will ALWAYS look half-arsed otherwise.
I agree about the brick. Is there shortage of brick in this town? So many buildings look like they just ran out halfway through.
Just checked out the website for this project. I’m sure Zaha Hadid, Phillip Johnson and Michael Graves are all turning over in their graves!