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Post by DE-LSU84 on Jun 25, 2015 7:59:00 GMT -5
If money was not an issue, what changes would you make to campus. What building would be renovated? What building would be razzed? Keep in mind all buildings and athletic fields would be in play. Go to google maps and look at the satillite view of campus to determine what you would do. I have done this and have serveral thoughts. Remember, this is just an exercise for the summer down time while we await a new basketball season. Again, money is not an issue.
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Post by La Salle 08 on Jun 25, 2015 8:44:31 GMT -5
Basketball centric: Knock down the Union. Raze Mccarthy and the Hank and move them anywhere else. Build a new arena in the middle of campus with a new student union attached.
Include a real regulation track around the new soccer/lacrosse/FH field wherever you want to put it. Do we need a baseball field on campus? I'm probably in the minority but I'm not sold on needing it.
Dig a subway stop at 20th and Olney that connects to Erie station and then south.
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Jun 25, 2015 10:52:29 GMT -5
I think you need to create a road that runs behind La Salle land and extend Penn St (off Clarkson via Wister) to Church Ln. This would create a "Campus" over there. That said, it is a lot of property and in its current form, is unusable for anything other than parking and trees.
My worry about West Campus is that it is still not "La Salle." Everything past the Business School is off-campus to most. If you created this road, you could say that it was now the campus.
The North side of Wister Woods would be another spot for La Salle to invest in. I know it is public land (I think), but if you cut a deal with the new Mayor, you can probably absorb it with certain stipulations. Right now it is a mess.
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Post by SICguy84 on Jun 25, 2015 12:06:08 GMT -5
Crazy ideas that will not come to fruition...
-Close 20th Street totally
- If any one of Central, Widener, or Girls high school are closed by school district investigate feasibility of expanding towards Broad Street.
- Buy and raze row-homes along Elkins Ave on southern side of the street.
- Strong arm, coerce or overpay the City/Fairmount Park Commission into selling Wister Woods Park in entirety (both sides), with covenant that only 35% can be developed by the University and the remaining to be kept as parkland in perpetuity. Brings campus close to Wister train station of the Chestnut Hill line.
- Paint "La Salle" on the Willy Wonka factory smokestack of the former physical plant building on West Campus.
- Use contractors, architects and engineers that the school has used in past, value relationships as they did prior.
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Post by DE-LSU84 on Jun 25, 2015 12:39:00 GMT -5
Alright, I started this so I guess I better put my list of how I would change the campus footprint.
1)On the property that now houses the armory, make that the grand entrance into campus. It has direct access from W. Somerville Ave and subsequently Broad St.
2)That new entrance would connect to the existing road that winds between the baseball field and McCarthy.
3)Razz Mccarthy Stadium and field and this becomes a new large parking lot for commuter students, visitors and game attendees.
4) Build the new arena on the property that borders Wister, Belfield and Clarkson right next to the Presidents house. This allows game attendees to park on the former McCarthy site and walk across 20th, down an already existing light path to the new arena.
5)Build a new McCarthy stadium on the land west of the hospital and behind Teresa Court apts. This should allow for a proper size track with 8 lanes instead of the six we currently have. This would allow LaSalle to actually host track meets instead of traveling to them.
6)On the corner of Ogontz Ave and Lindley Ave is where I would relocate the softball field that was lost when I moved McCarthy Stadium. This is property that borders the current armory site. This property would have to have some modification but I think by bulldozing into the hill and building a proper retention wall we could creat a left field wall painted blue and gold with 'Home of the LaSalle Explorers' on it. This could be LaSalle's version of the green monster.
7)I travel up from Wilmington Del. to attend games. I take 95 to 76 to the Roosevelt Blvd and exist onto Broad street. Proceed a few blocks on Broad until I make a left onto Belfield Ave. On Belfield there is a train bridge that I would like to see painted blue and gold with either a LaSalle emblem or some sort of message that states Welcome to LaSalle. If Penn and Drexel can do it, why not us.
I gues I just wanted to throw this out there to see if you agree, disagree or could make improvements to the above. Thanks.
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lasalleed
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Post by lasalleed on Jun 25, 2015 14:13:16 GMT -5
It is simple...... move out of North Philly into a suburban setting.
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Jun 25, 2015 15:04:53 GMT -5
It is simple...... move out of North Philly into a suburban setting. Some land off Cheltenham Ave.
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MisterD
The Baptist Himself
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Post by MisterD on Jun 25, 2015 15:45:57 GMT -5
I don't know if that was sarcasm, but turning La Salle into the college equivalent of a sub-development would completely suck.
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Post by blueandgold on Jun 25, 2015 16:00:03 GMT -5
Add toes
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Post by blueandgold on Jun 25, 2015 16:12:17 GMT -5
But in all seriousness -
1) Eliminate Wister Hall and replace with standalone chapel
2) Replace tennis courts with basketball facility
3) Get a sit down restaurant in the Shoppes at La Salle
4) Allow for vehicle entrance from Wister into the lot behind E&F
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Post by coqui900 on Jun 25, 2015 17:06:27 GMT -5
Make it like the show "Under The Dome."
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Jun 25, 2015 17:47:48 GMT -5
3) Get a sit down restaurant in the Shoppes at La Salle I have the business plan when someone has the money.
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Post by jellybean on Jun 25, 2015 19:12:45 GMT -5
3) Get a sit down restaurant in the Shoppes at La Salle I have the business plan when someone has the money. Could happen. There was talk when they built The Shoppes that Applebee's would be included.
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Jun 25, 2015 20:15:36 GMT -5
I have the business plan when someone has the money. Could happen. There was talk when they built The Shoppes that Applebee's would be included. That is a terrible idea. Nothing screams "Fun time for Students" like an Applebees.
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Post by theneumann64 on Jun 25, 2015 20:27:10 GMT -5
I love Applebee's. I went to Applebee's for dinner tonight and I'm drinking a Miller Lite right now. I am the blue-collar slob all you hipsters hate.
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MisterD
The Baptist Himself
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Post by MisterD on Jun 25, 2015 21:50:52 GMT -5
[takes the heartburn medication that Larry the Cable Guy endorses]
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Jun 26, 2015 4:22:09 GMT -5
I love Applebee's. I went to Applebee's for dinner tonight and I'm drinking a Miller Lite right now. I am the blue-collar slob all you hipsters hate. Don't hate Applebee's. Would if I was 22.
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Post by jellybean on Jun 26, 2015 6:01:48 GMT -5
Have to love the Battle of the Moderators.
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Post by explorer88 on Jun 26, 2015 7:02:26 GMT -5
Crapplebee's
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Post by calsufan on Jun 26, 2015 7:40:54 GMT -5
Have to love the Battle of the Moderators. I'm staying out of this one. This could be a battle of mythical proportions. Beside, I'm starting to get closer to the age where I have to start thinking about gumming my food and not chewing it.
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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Jun 26, 2015 8:49:10 GMT -5
Back on topic, if my dream for the arena at the armory site doesn't work out, and there are no financial limitations, here are a couple options.
Clear the woods below the new dorm/baseball field/McCarthy Stadium, then build the arena at 20th and Belfield. Then blow up McCarthy, but rebuild on the same site with the field/track running perpendicular to where it sits now. Put new baseball and softball fields basically below that new dorm, with lots of parking between there and the new arena. Turning McCarthy around would entail moving the driveway that runs through campus, oh darn, and maybe just have seating/locker rooms on one side of the new stadium. If that were to work, maybe a cool look would be some sort of bridge/walkway from the arena up to the stadium if locker rooms were in the arena and not part of the stadium. There would be room for some more parking on the Union building side of the field.
Or build new fields for baseball and whatever else where those woods are, then building the arena where the baseball field and that lower parking area sit. Add parking in the armory area, and that way access is still better than it is now and there is more parking. That is basically the middle of campus, or maybe lower third now since everything else is going west.
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Post by DE-LSU84 on Jun 26, 2015 10:44:05 GMT -5
Thanks for the rsponses. This topic is still open, but i wanted to acknowledge some of the proposals. I really like SICguy84's thoughts and BlueandGold with the razzing of Wister hall to build a chapel and create an entrance into the parking lot behind E&F off of Wister Street. Painting the smoke stack and creating an entrance off of Wister into the lot behind E&F would not cost alot. Please keep the ideas flowing. Who knows, maybe the new president will read some of the suggestions and actually implement them.
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Post by a10champion15 on Jun 26, 2015 15:37:09 GMT -5
On that point...Wister being converted to a chapel and a grand entrance at the cornered of somerville and belfield have been discussed in the administration. Not necessarily two new ideas but still very good ones. Adminstration does not like having a Chapel basically in a basement whatsoever.
That grand entrance idea goes back to when they discussed combining the admin building and college hall to make the new business school which wasn't feasible and I am happy they scratch it.
I would count on both those concepts coming to fruition in time and neither will be too expensive either.
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Post by jellybean on Jun 26, 2015 17:13:15 GMT -5
I have long advocated here knocking down E & F and building the new arena there. My concern was I always thought it was two building projects not one. You would also need to build new dorm to replace the ones you were closing. What I didn't foresee was the dramatic shift in the last three years to off campus housing. Parents and students trying to cut corners. Use the off-campus housing and save money. La Salle unfortunately loses revenue but that's the shift we've seen.
So I see no obstacle to making the arena either a stand alone or connection to Haymen. There appears to be enough land. Maybe the parking lot loses a row and maybe the school can buy up all those houses on Elkins Street.
What I don't get is all the talk about building an arena at the Armory. First it's far away. Isolated. Poor parking. It is has a hill or cliff behind the Armory. My suggestion is building a three story parking garage and enter the school property from the 3rd floor.
The turf on McCarthy and baseball fields are getting pretty old. I think the life expentency is 10 years. Knock down the stands. Replace both turf fields with new turf. Move the Soccer field East a little. Make the track 8 lanes. Build new stands.
Do something with the Hospital. Make it the focal point for Health Sciences. Make it a drawing card.
Upgrade the Computer Sciences. We all see and hear about cyber-security. Make it another drawing card.
Look at those apartments beyond the Softball fields. Acquire them along with all the properties on Chew. Then you have practically the entire block.
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Post by belfieldhappyhour on Jun 26, 2015 20:36:46 GMT -5
What I don't get is all the talk about building an arena at the Armory. First it's far away. Isolated. Poor parking. It is has a hill or cliff behind the Armory. My suggestion is building a three story parking garage and enter the school property from the 3rd floor. Jelly, look at this Google map. The Armory is right behind DeVincent/Neumann Hall and close to the other new dorm, too. As for the no parking thing, the reason I advocate this area is that there is the most room to build, not only a new arena, but also plenty of parking. Plus, you have that 'south campus' commuter lot there and like football games, you can use Central's parking lot if necessary. Building something on the hospital grounds or at Belfield/Wister doesn't give you the room for parking. Plus, if you look at it from a fans perspective, most fans are coming from Broad Street/611, whether it be from the Boulevard or north from Elkins Park area. That is why I like the Armory area for the arena. Best place to build with the fastest in/out access for fans pre/postgame. Building where E&F is or on hospital site would create same traffic headaches that we have right now. And if money is no object in this discussion, whatever hill/cliff you talk of can be flattened in one day by a bulldozer. Just thought of an added question for this thread, regardless of where new arena is built, do you have pool attached to new arena, or does Hayman/Gola stay as is? You could build a buffer building with new arena for practice/offices etc.
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Post by luhoopsfan on Jun 26, 2015 20:51:11 GMT -5
I like the idea of building a basketball/convocation center next to Hayman basically as an addition, this way you can keep the existing Gola Arena for volleyball games, a basketball practice facility or whatever and then have an events center all in what is basically the same building. You could have secure access from the athletic offices on the second floor over to the events center as well as an entrance on the first floor of necessary.
I just hope something happens before I'm dead
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Post by JoeFedorowicz on Jun 26, 2015 20:58:11 GMT -5
I like the idea of building a basketball/convocation center next to Hayman basically as an addition, this way you can keep the existing Gola Arena for volleyball games, a basketball practice facility or whatever and then have an events center all in what is basically the same building. You could have secure access from the athletic offices on the second floor over to the events center as well as an entrance on the first floor of necessary. I just hope something happens before I'm dead Parking, Parking Parking. It almost has to be stand-alone with stand-alone parking. Or we'll all be fighting for the same 300 spots.
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Post by luhoopsfan on Jun 27, 2015 6:26:12 GMT -5
I just assume the same 2,500-3,000 people will be attending games, however, I do subscribe to the theory that a better facility will yield better recruits which will result in better teams and more wins and ultimately more fans in attendance. So fair point on the parking. - how about a new home for the fitness center and use the island by blue and gold for surface parking instead?
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MisterD
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Post by MisterD on Jun 27, 2015 6:42:03 GMT -5
What if instead of an Applebee's on campus, we run a shuttle to and from the closest one on game days? Would alleviate some of the parking concerns.
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Post by jellybean on Jun 27, 2015 8:36:53 GMT -5
Have we even acquired the Armory property?
As for bulldozing it, look at the property. You would need to blast. Good luck in this city. Also problem with the google map is that it is two dimensional and you would need a topographical map to get a better picture. And yes, I am familiar with the property. I also doubt that there is plenty of parking in those two lots by Basil's on game nights (weekends are better). Those lots are full with faculty, resident students and those attending evening classes.
If they build an addition to Haymen by knocking down the two dorms you have almost exactly the same amount of land. You lose no parking. Access is where you park now. To me parking for events is a moot point. I have been a season ticket holder for Gola since it opened. I can count on one hand the amount of times that parking was an issue. If anything when we used the Good Shepherd lot prior to the Shoppes it took longer to leave the lot.
The more I thought about it, they can make the new arena the Convocation Center for graduation. That way you could make huge improvements at McCarthy. Also have an area in the new arena where fans can go before and after the game like they used to have at the Civic Center. Keep it all in one building. If they want to have an Applebee's or Chilli's that fine but not for game day. That would be a joke trying to get into and out of on game day.
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