The Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street in Center City has dominated the Philadelphia skyline ever since it became the city’s tallest skyscraper in 2017. The tower rises 62 stories and 1,121 feet tall, topped with a bright beacon. The tower was designed by Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, who has done many well-known projects around the world notable for their exteriors of glass, metal, and decorative lighting. The developer of the project is Liberty Property Trust, which had also developed One Liberty Place when the company was known as Rouse and Associates under Willard Rouse. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY looks back at when the crane was first removed from the near-completed Comcast Technology Center.
Comcast Technology Center looking north. Photo by Thomas Koloski
The crane that topped out the first supertall skyscraper in the city was erected on the southwest corner of the south terrace back in September 2016. The steel rose only five floors above the terrace at the time, and the new crane assisted the other crane on the northeast side of the north terrace as both rapidly assembled the tower up to the roof. The new crane had a larger boom attached, then the crane on the north side became obsolete and was taken down by March 2017.
Comcast Technology Center in the Philadelphia skyline. Photo by Thomas Koloski
The final crane had finished assembling the roof and started work on the cooling towers, as it made a few smaller jumps to the top. The crane jumped to its highest elevation in early November when the construction of the lantern had started. The tower topped out on November 27th, and the crane stayed at its final height after finishing a large majority of the cladding. A smaller derrick crane was erected at the top in April so it could take down the final crane piece by piece. The entire crane was removed by June 2018, giving the public a good look at the tower as it looked nearly complete.
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I’m a big fan of Lord Foster.
I recall watching the construction of the Hearst Tower on 8th Avenue in awe over his remarkable design (about 15 years ago).
Anyhow, there is a video on YouTube with Norman Foster in Philadelphia discussing his design.
I hope Philadelphia will be blessed with more designs from him in the future! 🙂