Foundation Work Starts at 2222 Market Street in Center City West

Foundation work has begun at 2222 Market Street, the site of a 20-story, 318-foot-tall office building in Center City West. Designed by Gensler and developed by Parkway Commercial Properties, the structure will yield 305,000 square feet, the entirety of which will be leased by the law firm of Morgan, Lewis, Bockius LLP.

The building features a striking modern design with staggered blocky sections. While its height won’t drastically impact the city skyline, the project is still a significant development for the rapidly growing neighborhood. The parking lot that spanned the site until recently has already been torn up, and excavation and drilling equipment is currently at the site.

2222 Market Street. Photo by Thomas Koloski

2222 Market Street site. Photo by Thomas Koloski

The sizable lot is located to the southwest of the 384-foot-tall, 25-story PECO Building, an icon on the local skyline since 1970. Parking lots span much of the rest of the district, some occupying entire lots. 2222 Market Street is one of several buildings proposed and under construction in Center City West, which will transform the area into a dense neighborhood.

The building was unveiled in the summer of 2019. At the start of of 2020, an announcement confirmed that Morgan, Lewis, Bockius LLP would be moving into the building by 2023. In June, CDR documents for the building were posted on the city website showing a design with slight changes to the shape and exterior. In August, the permits were filed for the building and the site on-site parking lot closed and the attendant booth taken off the site.

Dirt-moving equipment arrived at the site two months later, with caisson work starting and an official groundbreaking date of September 21. Since then, the whole parking lot has been torn up and some excavation has already taken place, with further demolition in progress on the small buildings on the east side of the site. The foundation work will continue over to next year with a possibility of the foundation being complete by spring of 2021, as only one level needs to be excavated.

2222 Market Street panorama. Photo by Thomas Koloski

2222 Market Street with the Center City towers looming. Photo by Thomas Koloski

The project is anticipating a completion date of August 2022.

Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail

Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews