The structure of the Eraserhood park deliberately reflected the structure of the historic Reading Viaduct, in soft materials..
Sunlight and shadow at 5 pm made for a shady park with a bright view,
Ann Marie Schneider, one of the park’s creators relaxes at the end of the day.
When I arrived Schneider was enjoying a quiet moment. As people left work at five, however, the park filled with activity.
Like any true park, serious play got underway.
Trying to imagine David Lynch walking out of this tunnel, wielding a nail-studded 2 x 4… but the neighborhood — and Lynch, himself — have all changed since then.
Park co-creator Kate Farquhar and family relax and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Parking day 2012 got off to a slightly rough start for Ann Marie Schneider and Kate Farquhar when they discovered a driver had not respected their spot reservation sign. With their planned park choked with a parked car (of all things) they needed to extemporize. Fortunatly, after only a 45 minute delay, another spot opened up, and they finally started construction.

As students of James Corner (landscape architect for New York City High Line Park as well as Philadelphia’s own Race Street Pier) Schneider and Farquhar are very interested in the future of the Reading Viaduct. This was clearly one of the draws to this spot on North 11th Street, despite both artists currently reside in West Philly.

Schneider expressed her active concern regarding the if, when, and what in the future of the Viaduct. The artists also attempted to reflect the form and structure of this landmark in “soft materials” when they designed their park.

Bob Bruhin is a web developer, tour guide, art photographer, author, blogger, and graphic designer. His love of urban landscapes, especially in post-industrial Philadelphia, PA, leads him to document some of the darker corners of his city.