Architects Are AbZOOlutely Fabulous

by Tracy Ostroff
Associate Editor

Summary: AbZOOlutely Chestnut Hill is bringing a variety of whimsical painted animals to the community’s streets and public spaces. Organizers say the exhibit is the first in the nation to feature numerous premier architecture firms, with 10 Philadelphia-area architects partnering with community businesses, social groups, and civic organizations for the public art exhibition. The animals will be auctioned off November 18. Proceeds will benefit the Philadelphia Zoo and local community organizations.

“AbZOOlutely Chestnut Hill is extremely fortunate to have 10 leading Philadelphia architecture firms participating, each having created a, unique work from an architectural perspective,” organizers say.

Many of the firms have professional or personal ties to the Chestnut Hill community, a historic neighborhood known as a “suburb in the city,” about 12 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The area sports many significant architectural landmarks, including work by George Howe, Horace Trumbauer, Wilson Eyre, Louis Kahn, Robert Venturi, and H. Louis Duhring. Organizers say the event celebrates the city’s proud architectural heritage and commitment to architecture education.

“The inclusion of the architecture firms is particularly exciting, as they have never been involved to this extent in this sort of public art exhibition,” says Chris Lane, chair of AbZoolutely Chestnut Hill. Administrative assistant and self-described zookeeper Kate O’Neill says many of the principals got rather involved, holding competitions in their firms to develop the design, with some of them creating CAD drawings to realize their ideas for their fiberglass canvasses. She notes the architects, artists, and sponsors could choose from 14 different animals, from the camels and llamas to ducks and turtles. The larger animals carried a sponsorship price of up to $7,500 while the smallest creatures were available for $1,500.

Now for the fun part
The animals are as varied as the architecture firms they represent.

Whitney Wexler, a graphic designer at Ballinger, says about 10 people, with the leadership of principal Terry Steelman, AIA, spent a total of 60 hours on their ward, Civitus Girafficus, powering through 40 brown Sharpie markers to create the intricately detailed urban giraffe, the brainchild of designer Joe Rakowski, who had spent a number of years studying in Italy. “The species is derived from a passion for civic monumental architecture and the love of one the greatest cities in the world. That combined with graphic convention of realizing the mapping of natural animal print and the mapping of some of the greatest works of architecture breed this unbelievable species. Its range extends from Chestnut Hill, Pa., to South Africa to Rome, Italy,” the firm notes in its submission.

At Cope-Linder Architects, principal and Chestnut Hill resident Gerald Pope led the parade. The firm had previously worked with the community on a vision plan and streetscape unity program. It was only natural, says Marketing Director Carolyn Livingston, that the firm take its cue for its animal—an ostrich—from streetscape elements. “We were inspired by the floral arrangements up and down the hill.” It was a landscape architect who suggested they take the hibiscus flower and marry it to the shape of the bird, removing the ‘ostrich-ness’ from the final piece. The colors are vibrant hibiscus-type, and are applied in a bold, pop-art style.

The designers at EwingCole took a different approach. “We have created a metallic gold camel to provide a new way of looking at and finding some of the buildings of Chestnut Hill. Notable Chestnut Hill architecture is abstracted, creating patterns that cover the camel. A map where these buildings are marked, but not identified, is then added to the design.” The plucky animal then issues this challenge: “I have been camel-flaged to blend into my surroundings in Chestnut Hill. Use my map to find a few of the hidden treasures around me.”

And say hello to all the animals.

The firms participating in the exhibition are:

• Krieger & Associates (CHHS Sponsor)
  Chestnut HiLlama
• WRT Architects (Chestnut Hill District sponsor)
• Lion-Rainforest
• EwingCole Architects (EwingCole sponsor)
  Camel-Chestnut Hill Architectural Camel-flage
• Cope-Linder Architects (8500 block businesses sponsors)
  Ostrich Hibiscus Ostrichus
• BLT Architects
  Pig-BLT
• H2L2 Architects (Bair Mail sponsor)
  Bearing Greetings from Around the World
• Ballinger Architects (Ballinger sponsor)
  Giraffe-Civitas Girafficvs
• MGA Partners (Comcast sponsor)
  Slow Dance—the Secret Life of Turtles
• Dagit·Saylor Architects (CHBA/CHPF sponsor)
  Trolley Llama
• Venturi, Scott Brown & Associates (Venturi, Scott Brown sponsor)
  Llama Mia