Owner’s Rep Helps Bring New Life to the Philadelphia Vietnam Memorial

Illustrative panel on Philadelphia's Vietnam War Memorial

Constructed 25 years ago, the Philadelphia Vietnam Memorial is one of the nations most recognized and honors the 646 Philadelphia veterans who served and died for our country during the conflict that lasted almost 30 years.

Originally designed to be a contemplative space, the Memorial in recent years has been subject to vandalism, and has become a “hangout” for skateboarders, loiterers and graffiti artists.

During the past year, Owner’s Rep has worked with business leaders, civic groups and memorial representatives to plan a relocation of the Memorial to new grounds, forming a public park with improved safety and visibility.In conjunction with the move, Owner’s Rep has been instrumental in the development of a NEW memorial that will honor the South Vietnamese soldiers who fought side-by-side with U.S. troops. This independent monument will be situated between the Vietnam Memorial and the Korean Memorial, the three becoming a sanctuary for visitors and veterans alike.

The “opening” of what will be known as the “Monument of the RVN (Republic of South Vietnam) Heritage and Freedom Flag” will coincide with the re-installation of the Vietnam Memorials. Labor for both projects is being donated by the Philadelphia Building Trades, and many companies are contributing goods and services towards its completion.

Owner’s Rep will oversee much of the project since the firm was instrumental in the Phase One restoration of the Vietnam Memorial, and worked closely with the National Park Service to dismantle and move the Liberty Bell Pavilion from Independence Hall to the corner of 6th and Chestnut Street.

Also known as the Second Indochina War, the Vietnam War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from November, 1955 to April, 1975.

The U.S. government became involved to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam, and ultimately to stop the spread of communism. The war exacted a huge number of fatalities with estimates varying between 800,000 and 3.1 million Vietnamese service

(Jim - add caption here)

members and civilians. 58,220 U.S. service members also died in the conflict.

In 1974, North Vietnamese communists prepared for a full-scale invasion of South Vietnam, thereby violating the Paris Agreement signed by the communist National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, the U.S. and the Republic of Vietnam.

After the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, many members of the RVN Armed Forces reused to surrender and committed suicide under the RVN Flag.

The planned Monument will bear that yellow and red banner and a U.S. flag that will honor the thousands of South Vietnam army members and citizens who sacrificed the lives in the cause of freedom in Vietnam.

Shane Candies Restoration

Jim Curry, Owners Rep

We’ve had great opportunities over the years to work on great and historic buildings in the Philadelphia area including The Corn Exchange, The General Wayne Inn, The Bourse, The Liberty Bell Pavilion, Academy of Vocal Arts, Christ Church, The Columbia Inn, and now, Shane Candies.

We’ve restored, retrofitted, and/or rehabbed more than 25 buildings… just in Old City. Our offices are in Old City and we have had a personal interest in seeing "history" thrive in this community.

My wife, Ellen, and I lived in Old City for 13 years and are still active in the Old City Civic Association.

The Shane's project has been a “treat” for us. Although the budget was tight, we managed to provide the owner’s with a plan that gets their operation up and running effectively, (Phase 1) while planning for additional restoration (Phase 2) of its historic fabric.

The project also allowed us to implement a wide range of our services including Pre-Construction Planning/Budgets, Design-Build, Code Compliance, and Historical Commission Approvals. We also reached sustainable benchmarks for "green" construction.

Shane Candies facade during restoration

 



















Shane Candies

Candy coming soon......

Shane Candies display area during restoration

 Shane Candies is 99 years old and was purchased last year by Ryan and Eric Berley, brothers who have earned fame with  Franklin Fountain Ice Cream.
 

Jim Curry & Eric Berley

Ryan and Eric retooled original parts and equipment in order to recreate candies from the turn of the 20th Century.  

Along with retooling the equipment, another  highlight was the careful craftsmanship required in rebuilding the store and its storefront. The tin ceilings, stained glass, original counters, lighting fixtures, tile-work, marble, and hardware have all been hand stripped, painted, reworked, and/or refinished. We also discovered and restored some features that were hidden beneath “improvements” made over the last 30 – 40 years. The arched windows at the base of the storefront are one such feature.

Owner’s Rep collaborated with the Berley’s before the building was purchased. We inspected, estimated, researched, value-engineered, and consulted with the City of Philadelphia to determine the project feasibility and cost. We then expedited the code compliance and restoration phase so that Shane's could start making chocolate and other goodies again. “New meets Old” certainly encapsulates the theme.


Collaborating closely with Ryan & Eric and their registered architect, Richard Stange, we combined ALL of the owner’s expenses (retooling, fixtures, equipment, etc) with the construction costs into one budget.

Eric with antique candy molds

We all monitored these costs regularly with careful vigilance to maintain the bottom line.

As a result of our collaboration, Owner’s Rep and the Berleys gained new respect for each others' skills – us in their ablity to make and sell a quality candy product, and them in their realization of construction project dynamics.


“Did you find anything interesting?” is a question that many people ask when they see we’re working on a historic building?

The Berley’s found lots of items that had to do with the making of chocolate that they will re-use in their manufacturing processes or include in their future Candy Museum. Owner's Rep found patterned glass skylights at the rear of the property. We replaced the existing system with insulated patterned glass panels and reduced the need for day lighting in this area.

Craftsman fabricating bracket for Shane Candies sign.

An added bonus for me contributes to a childhood memory 

In the 50’s, for Easter, my family could get a leg of lamb at Young’s Meat Market and then walk just a few doors down to Shane’s to get the best coconut cream eggs that I can remember. I’m counting on the Berley brothers for those eggs this coming Easter!

Bob working on an antique mixer.