Construction has yet to break ground on Mural West, a 363-foot-tall mixed-use building at 523 North Broad Street on the border of the Poplar and Callowhill neighborhoods of North Philadelphia. Designed by Atkin Olshin Schade Architects and developed by Eric Blumenfeld, the 32-story building will add some verticality to the area around North Broad Street north of the Vine Street Expressway, which has seen minimal skyline development since the dome-topped Inquirer Building was completed in 1924. The project will include a mix of retail space, offices, and residential area.
The development derives its name from the roughly 60-foot-high mural that spans the west wall of the adjacent Mural Lofts, a residential conversion of a pre-war structure that once housed the Thaddeus Stevens School of Practice. Mural West accommodates the artwork with a diagonal cut across the tower podium, where a public plaza would lend visibility to the mural. At present, the mural is clearly visible from North Broad Street thanks to a large parking lot that spans the site of the proposed tower.
Mural West. Credit: Atkin Olshin Scade Architects
Mural West. Credit: Atkin Olshin Scade Architects
Mural West elevations by Atkins Olshin Schade Architects
The new building will be prominently visible from up and down North Broad Street as well as from many vantage points in the predominantly low-rise neighborhood. The tower design utilizes two facade types: a masonry-clad grid of tall rectangular windows is vertically flanked and horizontally divided by sections of sheer glass with an irregular mullion pattern. A setback around the two-thirds mark appears to make way for a private outdoor terrace, and the structure culminates in a prominent illuminated crown.
The site has not seen any development since the announcement, and no anticipated completion date has been announced.
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PSFS-ish knock-off
I don’t think it’s a knockoff of the PSFS, I believe it’s a unique tower on it’s own and I hope that it gets built ASAP, considering that area needs some development!
I like this design and location very much. ?
In fact, this area really NEEDS more development and THIS tower is a good start for sure!! ??
I have to agree with Inga – murals in Philly are overrated and overdone. They’re not by any stretch great works of art. Anyone know who the gal at the pinnacle of the mural is? Should we be revering her in some way??