Dateline: 7/31/2002
RE: THE BIOPOND
Dear Editor:
I would like to add my voice to those raised in protest against the plan to build on what is sacred ground to many of us in the University community, the Biopond.
For several years, I worked in the Stemmler building, a neo-Stalinist architectural monstrosity that cast a pall over my day the instant I walked in its doors. That pall was lifted only when I could escape at lunchtime to the Biopond, to find renewal in the beauty of the trees and flowers, to savor the peace and tranquility of at enchanting spot.
It is absurd to say that the planned building will not be detrimental to the Biopond. Already the space is quite limited, and any diminution of this space will inevitably destroy a great deal. How many of the wonderful old trees will have to be cut, how much sunlight will be cut off from the picnic tables? Indeed, how many picnic tables will be left
at all?
Why couldn't the parking lot on the southern side of the Biopond be used for the construction of the Life Sciences building? Why is the car sacrosanct, but not the quality of life that the Biopond represents for so many of us?
Sincerely,
Mary Katherine Regan
University City
Dateline: 7/31/2002
RE: BIOPOND
To whom it may concern:
I am interested in your effort to save the biopond. I was wondering how I could get more information on what is going to happen. If you could forward me the information you have on plans for the biopond, I would really appreciate it.
This summer I am working at the campaign to save the environment please check out the website www.pennenvironment.org. Have you thought about asking an environmental organization to help you or the growing greener/keystone funds.
Again, any info you have on what is planned for the bio pond would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Devin McGlynn
From the editor: Mr. McGlynn, the extent of our effort to "save the Bio Pond," to the extent that it is threatened, is to publish the letters of all parties concerned and to offer "The Bio Pond Pages," which can be accessed online through www.ucreview.net. There you will find news, history, picture and comments, which we hope will be of help. - RC
Dateline: 7/24/02
RE: BOTANICAL GARDENS
Dear editor:
It is awful to find out the plans for the garden. Has the U of Penn given any consideration to the wildlife diversity there? I have almost every insect family represented as well the numerous species of birds. It is silly to turn another third of that beautiful, quiet place into a cold, ugly building. Please reconsider the placing of the proposed project. I love that garden, and one of the reasons is because it is so big.
Thank You,
Tanya Dapkey
7/24/02
RE: PENN GARDENS
To who it may concern:
I lived in Philadelphia while doing graduate work both at Penn and Drexel. I often would go to the gardens to sit and relax in solitude, although I was only seconds away from the craziness of the big city. During the summer months I would often go to the gardens on lunch breaks, which made digesting both my food and the hectic pace of graduate life much easier. Recently I was back in Philly for an imaging conference. I couldn't wait for the conference to break for lunch so that I could steal away to the familiar solace of the garden's surroundings. I was truly frustrated and disappointed to learn that the University of Pennsylvania was planning on building on top of a portion of the garden's real estate. I think it would be an enormous
mistake and one more misaligned victory for urban sprawl and one more step in the dehumanization of our culture. I look forward to refusing the University's solicitations.
(.)/\(.)
~
Dr. Bob
Subj: ltr to editor Re: BioPond Garden
Date: Tuesday, April 17, 2001 7:08:43 PM
To the Editor:
People of West Philly have enjoyed visiting the BioPond Garden, located on 38th Street, across from the VA Hospital, for over 100 years. The garden used to be much larger, but construction projects have decreased
its size.
Unfortunately, the University of Pennsylvania still has plans to put a five story Life Sciences building in the BioPond Garden ( UC Review, August 2000). Picture something the size of the building being constructed at 38th and Walnut Streets (minus the tower) on the garden's edge. The building will run the length of the garden on the 38th Street side and along the inside edge of the bluestone path, jogging around the large beech and American elm. It will be on top of the greenhouses, Kaplan and Mudd buildings. It will also be directly on top of a favorite picnic area, a 15 year old wisteria vine, a redwood tree, the research plot and many other plants. It will also be on top of a yearly nesting site for one of the ducks, the home of some mocking birds, and the flyway for a red tailed hawk.
Construction will be done in two phases. First, part of the Life Sciences building will be put where the greenhouses are. Then, years from now, after the garden is beginning to recover from the construction, the process will start over again and the rest of the building will be built where Kaplan and Mudd are now.
Of course, much more will be destroyed during the actual process of construction. Where will the construction workers park their trucks and trailers? Inside another part of the garden? Beech roots are senstive. It is entirely possible that construction compaction will cause the great, old tree to go into decline and die years after building is complete. The new building will take space now used to store gardening supplies. Does this mean a new supply place will be constructed further inside the garden? If a door on the Life Sciences building opens onto a
garden bed, maybe that bed will be paved over with a sidewalk. Also, shade from the new building will severely limit the kinds of flowers that are able to bloom.
The university is paying for the design of a master plan of the garden.
This plan is being made with no input from those who maintain or use the garden. I suggest calling facililtes, 573-3924, to ask how you can be part of the planning process. And I suggest that everyone visit the garden now, before the sound of heavy equipment permeates every corner for years and another piece of it is permanently destroyed.
Ann Dixon
awdixon@juno.com
gardener for BioPond Garden
7/17/02
RE: UNIVERSITY FACULTY AGAINST BIOPOND DESTRUCTION
To whom it may concern-
I am an alumnus of the medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, an alumnus of the biomedical graduate studies PhD program in molecular biology, and a current instructor in pediatrics at CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania. I am firmly opposed to any reduction in size of the biopond in any way. I think that the biopond is one of the only natural settings left on the university campus. It is a beautiful place that allows numerous people to find peace and tranquility during the hectic pace of daily life at the university. It is a beautiful garden. No, it doesn't bring PROFIT to the university, which seems to be all that the university cares about, but many of my colleagues and I feel that this sacred spot should be kept untouched.
We don't need another building or another parking lot. Build the buildings across the street at the civic center hole.
I would be happy to discuss, protest, write, pay, do anything in order to keep things the way they are.
Sincerely,
Trevor Hoffman MD, PhD
7/17/02
RE: BIOPOND
Dear Editor:
Good Day to you. My name is Deborah Plummer and I am currently attending Summer Sessions at the University of Pennsylvania, upon hearing that there was a botanical gardens at Penn, I was instantly delighted and fascinated by the prospect of having a real garden on such an urban campus. I, therefore, visited the garden and saw the wide variety of enchanting flowers. The positive impact this garden has had on my view of Penn as an institution and my temporary home cannot be suitably explained.
I therefore plead with you or ask that you plead with the authorities on behalf of us who enjoy this splendid place to protect it and not to encroach upon nature by building another concrete monstrosity in the space of what should be natural beauty. This can simply be achieved by building your proposed building more than five stories which in such an urban setting is not unheard of. I thank you in advance for your understanding and propose that you go and enjoy for yourself this garden.
Deborah
7/17/02
RE: THE BIOPOND AT PENN IS IRREPLACABLE
Dear editor:
I have been a FedEx courier in the area of the BioPond since January 2002. In that short time I have developed a great fondness for the pond and it's surrounding gardens. Amidst the hustle of an urban university there sits an exotic world of local and tropical plants. Turtles and frogs bask in the bright sunshine while koi glide silently through the cool water. It is a haven for the local birds that, unlike the pigeons, prefer quiet shade and seeds to asphalt and pretzels. People, too, can come here to walk on soft trails, talk to each other without shouting
over the din of 38th street traffic, and smell the sweet nectar of lowers rather than the stench of diesel and dumpsters. Here, one can rejuvenate both body and spirit under the shade of those venerable old trees.
But what makes the pond truly irreplaceable is its history. A new garden can be built anywhere - but one hundred years of history is hard to come by, even in a city like Philadelphia that so cherishes the continuity of purpose that a long history can bestow.
The marble hallways and grand stair case of the John Morgan Building are a treasure. Walking the stairs one feels the unevenness of the marble underfoot caused by the countless footfalls of students over the past century. Who can avoid thinking of the lives of each of those students
when you feel your foot stepping into the places where their feet landed over and over during their time in school. The BioPond is like this, but rather than show the wear of a century of use, the gardens renew themselves each spring. Rain and snow wash away the footprints, and unused trails disappear under the plants. And still, the students
come - year after year, generation after generation.
The garden is composed of individual living organisms, but when viewed historically, the area itself can be viewed as an organism - with a continuous life span that bridges all of the landmarks of modern history. Perhaps a young woman sat here to read a letter from her fiancé - a doughboy in France in 1917. Or maybe a couple stopped here in the spring of '27 to wonder at the marvelous implications of Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic. There is no doubt that students sat here and wept at the news of the Kennedy assassination. Someday soon students might sit at the garden to discuss the new gene-replacement
cure for MS, or perhaps the manned flight to Mars.
Pick a time - pick and event, pick any year, and the gardens were here - quiet, comfortable, inviting.
Let's not throw that away. Build the building - but build it some other way. A different size or style, or a different place. The Biopond is an irreplaceable treasure that could not be replaced.
Jeffrey Donohue
7/10/02
RE: BIO POND
Dear editor:
The university can find a way to keep the Bio Pond and build their building. After all Penn is the home of the smartest people in the world. The Bio Pond area is a pleasant break from the city. We all need such a break. So to the university, leave the Bio Pond alone!
Russ Klenk
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
7/10/02 Re: BIOPOND
To Whom it May Concern:
I am a precollege student this summer at UPenn. A few days after arriving and becoming acquainted with the campus, I stumbled upon a small pond on its southern end. The charming beauty of this peaceful sanctuary compelled me to stop, sit down, and take it all in. What a unique escape from the outside rush! Taking a slow walk on the paths surrounding the pond, I saw a notice that warned that the pond and part of the surrounding vegetation would soon be replaced by a new structure. I recommend that whoever will be making the decision on where this building will be erected should first take a nice slow walk around the pond like I did-- and then think again about destroying this unique asset.
Sincerely,
Bradley Sammis
7/3 RE: U OF PENN'S BIOPOND
-More peace and harmony/less concrete structures
Dear Editor:
Eliminating even a portion of the garden by the School of Botany is an affront to horticulture, academia and civilization. If the purpose of education is to ultimately make the world a better place, destroying any part of this the best type of tribute to this purpose, is a puzzling contradiction. Save the garden and preserve the hope and belief that Penn is indeed a bastion of peace and harmony for Everyman and not the irrepressible builder of yet another concrete structure.
Carol Phillips
RE: BIOPOND MAKES ME BETTER
To whom it may concern,
It has come to my attention that the bio-pond area on UPenn campus is at risk of being closed or down sized. I would like to express my support for keeping the bio-pond for use as it is now. Having access to the bio-pond which I use multiple times per week makes me a happier, healthier, and more productive Penn employee and student.
Sincerely,
Chris Cardi
RE: SAVE THE BIOPOND
Dear Editor:
Please save the whole Biopond! IT's KEY.
Yours,
Pete Nelson MD, Ph
6/26 RE: SAVE THE BIOPOND AT PENN
Dear Editor,
Please reconsider the plans to build on the biopond garden. I've been at this University [of Pennsylvania] for five years now. Throughout those years (besides the years during the closing) I've found the biopond to not only be a refuge for animals and fauna, but also a refuge for me.
I just recently found out about the impending plans to build on this wonderful area and that fills me with fear. Isn't there another way?
There are, and they should be heavily considered. Please don't take one of the only places filled with nature's beauty away from the Penn community!
Sincerely,
Emily Hwang
RE: SAVE THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA BOTANICAL GARDEN
Dear Editor,
Finding solace amongst the
trees awakens the senses, rejuvenates the mind, and centers your energies. Finding a garden in a busy town on a busy day is like coming to a stream and drinking pure water; but this is more often an ideal than a reality. Yet, I know such a place where the trees invite you to rest at their base, the flowers feast your eyes, and the still water cools your worries: The Botanical Garden of the University of Pennsylvania, two acres or so tucked between the greenhouses and the School of Medicine. Few signs or paths show the way, perhaps the lack of information is intentional to keep people out, but probably it is simply the result by some who ignore our innate sense for seeking connectivity with nature. However, on the official university map, it is the only "Garden" listed.
Those who find the gardena, will discover an intact ecosystem: its over 40 tree and shrub species, 30 annual and perennial species and its numerous birds, rodents, insects and microbes all take refuge there. The garden's biodiversity reflects the ethnic diversity that makes Philadelphia so wonderful. The Botanical Garden is not simply an "urban green space", a collection of green stuff that accents the buildings; rather it is a complete habitat, a functioning oasis within a cement jungle. It is this very ecological integrity, which makes it unique, makes it a reserve for nature and the people who benefit from it.
The Botanical Garden is threatened from the expansion of the Mudd Life Science Building planned along 38th street. As the University of Pennsylvania sprawls out instead of up, the Garden, funded by an endowment for the past 100 years, and the recently renovated Kaskey BioPond Memorial Garden will lose its stately chestnut, oak, and beech trees while the people will lose one of the last great natural parks of the City of Philadelphia.
I urge University Planners to reconsider their building plans, accommodating their needs through better designs that leave the park intact. Wise people set aside this land as a natural oasis; wise people can still preserve it. The thousands of people, who visit this park every week, please contact the University Board of Directors, this newspaper and the Friends of the BioPond Garden, awdixon@juno.com, to save the Botanical Garden.
Sincerely,
Kevyn Elizabeth Wightman, PhD
Indianapolis, IN
As a forester, I have worked in Germany, Montana, Rwanda, North Carolina, Mexico and Nicaragua. I have recently visited your great city and was deeply moved by the beauty and pending destruction of University of Pennsylvania Botanical Garden. This unique area must be saved.
Subj: Save the Biopond Garden
This is to formally voice my objection to yet again, decreasing the size of the Biopond Garden. It is my understanding that if the proposed Life Sciences Bldg. increases the height to more than 5 stories, we can save what is left of the Garden.
This is a beautiful oasis which will cease to exist if we keep making it smaller. Please leave it alone. Thank you
Royce Kaplan
Business Administrator
Biomedical Library
Johnson Pavilion
6/5/02
RE: SAVE THE BIOPOND GARDEN
To Whom It May Concern,
I would like to express my opinion regarding the Biology garden. I absolutely love the garden, one of my favorite past times while at work, is to read to work related materials or simply eat lunch in the garden. One of the things I love most, is the garden is so spacious. It really does not matter how many people are outside it is always possible to find your own private place in the garden, where you can forget that you are in the middle of a metropolitan city. I am not in opposition of Life Science building, I actually used to work in the biology department therefore, I know it is much needed. However, I support the idea of the new building and the garden (as it currently is) co existing by simply building up instead of out.
Sincerely,
Stacey L. Matthews
Department of Neuroscience, Upenn
9/10/01
RE: U PENN'S BIOPOND
To the Editor:
I am writing to you to express my strong opposition
to the proposed construction of the Life Science building on the edge of the Biopond Garden.
This garden has been shrinking since it's inception 100 years ago. A great deal of greenspace and large trees on property owned by the Upenn have been eliminated or cut down with minimal replacement. The biopond has served as an oasis to many faculty, students, visitors, and children in the West Philadelphia community. We live and work in a very dynamic community that has more than its share of stress. Not only do greenspace and trees improve our physical health, but our mental health as well.
For these reasons, the garden should not be built upon.
Thank you,
Cheryl Monturo, (Upenn staff and student)
