Excavation Underway at 1620 Sansom Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

After demolition finally wrapped up at 1620 Sansom Street, excavation work is underway for the 340-foot-tall, 28-story high-rise. The tower will stand in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of Center City, just two blocks to the south of Liberty Place. The building will feature 306 residential units, as well as commercial space on the ground floor. The earlier iteration’s unit and lesser floor count was bumped up two months ago via a permit filing.

1620 Sansom Street site looking southeast. Photo by Thomas Koloski

1620 Sansom Street site looking northeast. Photo by Thomas Koloski

In February, the garage that stood at the site was still active but with noticeably few parking spots taken. By April, the garage was emptied and gutted, with fences erected around the structure. In May, demolition was well underway and workers and machines were observed working on site. Demolition was completed by June, and YIMBY stopped by the site just before the excavation had started with the site covered with flat rubble and piles of crumbled concrete.

1620 Sansom Street site looking towards One Liberty Place. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Our recent walk around the site revealed a drill rig on Moravain Street, which was inactive at the time. No workers were observed at the site, yet much progress was noticeable, with excavation now underway. Most of the ground has been dug in the east section of the site. The other side was left relatively untouched, with beams on top to hold the foundation walls along with machinery. At this pace, the may rise be above ground by winter.

1620 Sansom Street site looking northwest. Photo by Thomas Koloski

No completion date has been announced, though construction may be finished by 2023.

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