Construction work has finally wrapped up at the Live! Casino and Hotel at 900 Packer Avenue in the Sports Complex District in South Philadelphia. Designed by Bower Lewis Thower Architects and developed by The Cordish Companies and Greenwood Racing and Entertainment, the 1.5-million-square-foot development consists of a massive, three-story casino structure with a curved stone exterior, joined with a 215-foot-tall, 14-story, 215-room hotel tower with a dark glass façade and an angled top.
Live! Casino and Hotel from I-95 South. Photo by Thomas Koloski
The complex replaces the 11-story, 240-room Holiday Inn that had stood at the site since 1974. When Philadelphia YIMBY first reported on the project in August 2020, two weeks after the website launch, the building was already far along in the construction process, with assembly in progress at the tower parapet.
Live! Casino and Hotel with the Philadelphia skyline. Photo by Thomas Koloski
The Holiday Inn was demolished by April 2019 and the tower crane for the new structure was installed in July. The steel superstructure of the casino rose quickly topped in August, while the hotel tower rose at the northeast corner. The concrete structure of the hotel also went up rapidly and topped out at the end of November, with the steel-framed parapet rising by late December. The cladding had rushed upward up to the top through 2020, and the Live! logos were installed at the end of the year.
Live! Casino and Hotel one day after opening from Arthaus. Photo by Thomas Koloski
The Live! Casino and Hotel officially opened February 11, 2021 with a grand ceremony featuring floodlights and a dramatic firework display.
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Biggest mistake Philly made was sticking their sports venues so far away from the city’s core. Not sure why they wouldn’t want foot traffic back into the cities restaurants, bars and hotels following a game. So now there’s one more venue that’s not going to benefit the city’s core. Ridiculous.
That’s one venue I’m glad isn’t going to “benefit” the city’s core.
Professional athletes will love the hotel where they can recharge their batteries after the game is over when they can walk over to the hotel ,