Alden Park - Philadelphia - Germantown area

Last night I got to sit in on an interesting discussion of Alden Park, located in Philadelphia. We were discussing the building with regards to its historical context and relationship to the Rationalist movement seen in Architecture and urban design. Apparently Alden Park, built in 1925, predates much of the rationalist movements published theoretical postures ... yet, in the opinion of many, this building is quite indicative of the postures of the Rationalists, and in particular the postures of Le Corbusier.

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A little history of the building ...

Alden Park is a high-rise Jacobean, Art Deco brick and terra cotta residential complex designed by Edwin G. Rorke in 1925. This six-building campus was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 1992, MPG was selected to work with John Milner Associates (Architects) and Wiss Janey Elsner (Structural engineers) to execute an extensive structural wall replacement and stabilization project. MPG work included: parapet wall replacement, cast stone repair and replacement, brick and stone pointing, ornamental stone patching, caulking and balcony repair and replacement.

Van Brunt Associates inspected the entire complex for a confidential institutional client who wanted to acquire and renovate the buildings and grounds. The comprehensive due diligence work included thorough building inspections, cost estimating, and environmental inspections. After discovering major environmental liabilities and structural problems estimated at approximately $8 million, our client backed out of the deal.

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But what about the building as a physical embodiment of a theoretical movement? Is there any record left of such a connection ... if one ever existed?