Inga Saffron

1 month ago | inquirer.com | Inga Saffron

When the Schuylkill Banks’ spectacular new boardwalk opened in mid-May, it didn’t just provide better access to the waterfront; it also gave Philadelphians new ways to see the city. As you cross the dramatic cable-stayed bridge, West Philadelphia’s glistening skyline rises up, seemingly rivaling Center City’s in scale. Further south, you get fresh glimpses of the lush Woodlands cemetery, which has presided over the river’s West Bank since the 18th century.

2 months ago | inquirer.com | Inga Saffron

Few Philadelphia buildings track the city’s shifting fortunes as neatly as the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue Hotel. Philadelphia was one of America’s richest cities when George C. Boldt opened the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue-Stratford, the city’s first Parisian-style grand hotel, in 1904. But as the city’s economy declined in the ’70s, so did the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue.

Mar 24, 2025 | inquirer.com | Inga Saffron

A century ago, the blackened smokestacks along the Delaware River were the emblem of Philadelphia’s economy. Today it’s the shiny glass towers that hug the Schuylkill waterfront and dot hospital campuses around the city. Those sleek new buildings owe their existence to a long-running partnership between the federal government and local universities. Over the years, government has provided the seed money for university scientists to study diseases and experiment with new technologies.

Feb 15, 2025 | inquirer.com | Inga Saffron

Hamilton Hall, the austere Greek-style temple at Broad and Pine, was turned into an arts school in 1893, a full century before the now-defunct University of the Arts acquired the building. Over that time, the various art schools that occupied Hamilton Hall have nurtured hundreds of people who went on to achieve international acclaim, including such luminaries as the architect Julian Abele, dancer Judith Jamison, illustrator Charles Santore, and Academy Award-winning actor Jared Leto.

Jan 17, 2025 | inquirer.com | Inga Saffron

I never understood why anyone thought that a Sixers arena would be the answer to Market East’s problems. It’s not just that the enormous box would have been dormant throughout the workday and more than 200 nights a year. Or that the project would have destroyed the most successful portion of the Fashion District mall, compromised Jefferson Station, and wreaked havoc on nearby Chinatown, one of Philadelphia’s liveliest neighborhoods. Mayor Cherelle L.