Taking a Look at The Girard Trust Building at 28-32 South Broad Street in Center City

At the end of the 1920s, right before the Great Depression, builders in Philadelphia had proposed several high-rise banks, which were constructed rapidly in the coming years. One of such towers was the Girard Trust Building at 28-32 South Broad Street, now known as the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, which stands just to the south of City Hall in Center City to the east of the site where One Meridian Plaza would later stand. Designed by Furness, Evans & Co. and McKim, Mead & White, which McKim, Mead & White, the latter being the architect for the old Penn Station in New York City, the skyscraper rises 394 feet and 30 stories tall. The structure was completed in 1931, the same year as the Empire State Building.

Philadelphia 1931 aerial. Photo via Old Images of Philadelphia on Facebook

Girard Trust Building in the Philadelphia skyline. Photo by Thomas Koloski

The West End Trust Building previously stood at the site, which was completely demolished by 1928. When the Girard Trust Building was completed, it became the third tallest high-rise building in the skyline, following 548-foot tall City Hall and the 405-foot-tall 151 South Broad Street (now known as the Wells Fargo Building). Just under the height of the Girard Trust Building stood the 389-foot-tall 1425 Locust Street (now known as The Aria Condos), followed by The Drake, standing at 375 feet tall and having completed construction just two years prior. With the towers all standing being in the vicinity of City Hall, the combined group created a cluster of traditionally styled high-rise architectue.

Girard Trust Building (right). Photo by Thomas Koloski

The tower’s architecture still holds up today as the near century-old design still stands out from certain views. The most open view the building can be seen from Dilworth Park, where the whole north elevation of the building faces towards City Hall. In the skyline, the structure is hidden from most angles, especially with the 617-foot-tall W/Element Hotel finishing construction nearby at 1441 Chestnut Street. But when passing the sports complex on the I-95 heading east, the tower appears in clear view on the skyline just to the left of City Hall.

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