Changing Skyline | Let's not throw dirt on the city's history

She's right that it's a daunting challenge, one that will require a professional fund-raiser. But too often Philadelphia prefers to get something done, rather than get it done right. It's why the city is stuck with the useless concrete tram towers at Penn's Landing, and why it is barreling ahead with a banal design for its South Street gateway.

Preserving the foundation pit would give the city a chance to improve on the Kelly/Maiello design. Although it was the best of five finalists, the design has many flaws. It adds yet another kitsch-laden historicist brick structure to the single-minded Sixth Street parade. It also turns a largely blank face to the city on the corner. It's hard to believe the city undertook such an important architectural competition without a design consultant.

One thing should be clear: The city needn't give up the worthy goal of erecting a memorial to slavery. There's plenty of open space to the east of the President's House, along Market Street.

Of course, the park service will insist on maintaining the open vista down the mall's midsection, so here's one option: submerge the new structure slightly below grade, similar to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and the 9/11 tribute in New York. The metaphorical possibilities of a sunken slavery memorial are enormous. Plus, the structure could ramp down and connect to the preserved President's House foundations.

Expensive? No doubt. But there are any number of ways to come to terms with the past. And the best keep what's real, real.

Changing Skyline |

Inga Saffron blogs about Philadelphia architecture at .

Contact architecture critic Inga Saffron at 215-854-2213 or isaffron@phillynews.com.