Philadelphia YIMBY’s recent site visit revealed that excavation is making steady progress at 1620 Sansom Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and developed by the Southern Land Company, with the Hunter Roberts Construction Group as the contractor, the 340-foot-tall, 28-story tower lands at number 18 on our December 2021 Development Countdown. The building will offer 306 residential units, while the ground-floor commercial space will further enliven the already vibrant local streetscape.
1620 Sansom Street. December 2021. Photo by Jamie Meller
The building, located on a mid-block lot on the south side of Sansom Street on the block between South 16th and South 17th streets, has made significant progress over the course of the past year. During last year’s countdown, a three-story/four-level garage still stood at the site. The eyesore structure, hemmed in by attractive prewar low-rises and a church, was demolished by the middle of year, concurrently with the filing of construction permits. Excavation was underway by August and appears to be nearing completion at this time.
The new building will present a significant streetscape improvement over the parking garage, returning the block to its historic roots of pedestrian-friendly commercial space at the ground level and residences above. Although the building scale matches the city’s contemporary skyline, the mixed residential-retail typology has been a stable of central Philadelphia since its earliest days, so the project is a return to form for a lot long marred by a drab, anti-pedestrian garage. Large ground-floor windows and brick piers further enhance the future structure’s appeal.
1620 Sansom Street. December 2021. Photo by Jamie Meller
1620 Sansom Street. December 2021. Photo by Jamie Meller
1620 Sansom Street. December 2021. Photo by Jamie Meller
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24 or 28 stories?
I hate to see the pedestrian scaled appeal of Sansom street butchered by this generic behemoth. Yuk. Turn around and you’ll be wondering what happened to our lovely city as it turns into a developer driven wasteland. Jim
Pedestrian scaled appeal? When is the last time you’ve been on this block of Sansom? Don’t you live in Seattle anyway?
Beautiful building. Can’t wait to see it finished.
You are CORRECT! 😉
God forbid we build a tower in Center City where the NIMBY’s rant about silly nonsense such as shadows or human (short squat) scale.
This is Center City!
Skyscrapers on every city block for endless miles in all directions!
Bring it!!
The taller, the better!!
I see they let 12 year olds on here. Grow up.
Shut up, NIMBY!!
Sorry but I have to agree with Steve. Your attitude towards design criticism is childish. Just because someone doesn’t like a design does it make them a nimby.
My personal option does not give anyone the right to insult me.
So, when I notice a little bratty NIMBY trolling my comments, I will RESPOND! 🙁
You obviously have issues with how to coexist with people who don’t agree with you so maybe you need to go back to not posting on here.
Perhaps you need to stop insulting others because you clearly do not like me!
So go away, you NIMBY troll.
WTF!! 🙁
I haven’t trolled anyone and it seems to me that you’re the one initiating these attacks by calling everyone around you a “nimby”.
Forget it J.Corner. There’s something wrong with this guy.
You’re the troll who does not like anyone who does not agree with you.
Oh and I’m afraid that my group had already won the fight to allow skyscrapers at the hearing back in the mid-1980’s when Willard Rouse toppled the height limit.
I heard your pathetic excuses back at the hearing.
“Oh *gasp*, we must preserve the human scale, no shadows from skyscrapers in my back yard or N.I.M.B.Y.
Well, you are in MY backyard here on Philly Y.I.M.B.Y.!!
Try your trash talk to my face during my Eagles game!
You make no sense but I guess the forum is all you have. Seek help.
I doubt you were at that hearing much like I doubt you have a clue to what a city actually is. Oh and your Eagles suck.
I always love “shadow” complaints. Nothing better then uninterrupted direct sunlight during philly summers
It’s ugly and a menagerie of styles but then again only tourists look up.
Are they putting in underground parking to replace the parking spaces that have been destroyed. This part of the city cannot handle fewer parking spots. If not, why not? Did the City Planning members not think this is hugely important. Perhaps parking is mentioned in this article, but I just missed it????
God forbid anyone mentions parking around here!
I was blasted for mentioning it and many of us just gave up and stopped posting whatsoever.
We are the reasonable adults with realistic expectations.
I concur, in fact the more Philly builds, the uglier it gets. I remember when that 1600 Block of Samson was such a nice street.
Things are no longer being built to be pleasant looking. They’re built for the new boring people who have infested the cities, the tourists and for the transients who spend a year or two and then relocate. Height is nothing more than branding for a developer and the cities board of tourism. History is not going to be kind to the first quarter of the 21st century.
I understand parking garages are ugly etc but still, the fact is folks need to park. The desire to bike or bus is not universal and if parking is too sparse, people will stay away
I’m very happy to see this go up. This is a big upgrade to the old parking garage. Hopefully we will continue to see more of parking lots filled in around the city.