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Apart from the Dewey/Manilla Bay connection, the Olympia is one of a kind. It's not as if we had a couple dozen of these things sitting around and were debating one more or less. This is the last of the breed.

It's hard to believe $20 million can't be found for this. I don't know anything about the organization, management, and sophistication of the Seaport Museum, but my guess is that the custodians are simply not up to the task. Civic culture plays a role as well. No major city with a competent government would dream of throwing away such an asset, but this is Philadelphia.

A white knight needs to step in. The cost is a small fraction of what will be spent on Superbowl advertising. It's doable, provided the locals are willing to play ball.

I agree that just sitting around and waiting for government to come to the rescue isn't the best solution. But still .... the Obamites just threw away over $800 billion in stimulus money, and a project like this couldn't make the cut? IMHO, something is wrong with the local culture and management team. It is unfortunately not uncommon for opportunities to be missed and treasures to be lost because of failures of leadership.

This is, by the way, an opportunity for the governor-elect. Yes, Pennsylvania is facing a budget crunch and the governor won't have $20 million to throw around casually. But he needs to convene a working group heavy on civic and business leaders and give them a mandate to save the Olympia. By all means the city and the Seaport Museum should be represented, but they should not be the controlling voices. They've already failed.

There are any number of philanthropists and major corporations who could write a check for this, and that would do so if asked properly. Part of the problem, however, is that Philly has bungled its riverfront. It's a classic example of the destructiveness of the automobile uber alles imbecility that has contributed to the destruction of so many urban cores.

Philly historically was one of the world's great seaports. Why anyone, once upon a time, thought it would be smart to drive an interstate highway along the riverfront, sever the city from the river, and make the Seaport Museum difficult to access is beyond me ... but that's the way the carheads think. The Olympia could and should be a premier attraction in one of the most attractive and dynamic parts of the city. There are a lot of mistakes to be undone before that will be possible, but that should be the goal. In the meantime, who's got $20 million?