Despite opposition from preservationists, the long-awaited tower at One Dock Street is underway in Society Hill, Center City. The apartment building will stand 372 feet tall and 31 stories. Designed by Philadelphia-based BLT Architects and developed by LCOR Incorporated, the slim yet sizeable tower will feature 272 rental apartments and will connect to the Marriott Hotel adjacent to the site. The high-rise will join architect I. M. Pei’s three Society Hill Towers that have dominated the area since 1964.
One Dock Street from the Walt Whitman Bridge early May. Photo by Thomas Koloski
The ultimate decision for the construction of the tower went back and fourth with the city, with the eventual greenlighting of the plans turning out to be a welcome surprise. Permits were posted in last June, and two months later construction activity quickly arrived at the site. In September, a quick trek around the site revealed that major work on the excavation on the small plot of land was underway. By the last update in March, the tower crane was erected and the concrete structure began to rise out of the ground.
One Dock Street from the Walt Whitman Bridge. Photo by Thomas Koloski
Construction has continued gradually, and now it seems the tower will soon shoot upwards with the start of the residential floors. The floor slabs now rise up to the fourth floor, with the fifth floor being set up for concrete work. The concrete core is surprisingly far ahead of the slabs, as the central structure reaches the tenth floor. Loads of workers were seen at the top slab, along with a good number of men working on rebar on top of the core. It should be obvious that the tower can now be seen from the Camden Waterfront, adding to the great presence of the Society Hill Towers, and now the tower can be seen rising from I-676, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, the Walt Whitman Bridge, and the I-95 near the Stadium Complex.
One Dock Street from the Camden Waterfront. Photo by Thomas Koloski
An on-site sign states the tower will be completed in September 2023.
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It seems to be that politics has continued to play even after the State Supreme Court denied relief sought by dissidents opposed to the construction of the tower.
It took a while for the project to come out of the ground and it could be that the city deliberately slowed down the construction pace on an effort to soothe the feelings of dissidents, many who owned units in the three Society Hill Towers.
Now it is time for One Dock Street to take its place on the sky!
James…Could the Covid-19 pandemic have played a major part in the delay of the One Dock Street project? I am just wondering, besides this photo looks like it could be in the Seaport District in Boston Harbor.
Overall i think Philly has a much better looking skyline than Boston’s.
The Sheraton is now a Marriott
Lawrence,
Several decades ago The Sheraton on Dock Street was a newly built Omni Hotel. The Center Omni Hotel was proposed be situated on 19th and Market Street where the Philly Stock Exchange is now located. John C. Portman, master Architect/Builder from Atlanta,GA built the Atlanta Omni Hotel. Philly’s downtown Omni was going to be the tallest hotel in the region;taller than the Atlanta Omni.It was rejected due to the protests raised by the Apartment house on Chestnut Street. The sunlight would cast a shadow on the Chestnut Street Apartment house. The foundations were dug deep enough to build a high-rise structure directly abouve the Stock Exchange.
A great big middle finger to historic Philadelphia. -Jim
How so? It’s being constructed on a parcel that had nothing on it. The middle finger to historic Philadelphia happened many decades ago when large areas were bulldozed for highways and urban renewal. This is a great attempt to begin filling in the gaps that still remain.
I work in historic Philadelphia and am excited for the influx of new residents from this project. We need more feet on the street and that should help bring back businesses on Chestnut St., etc.
Yes it’s unfortunate some views will be blocked. But this building should be celebrated more, especially compared to the low bland boxes being built on many other PRIME sites that beg for a tower. Hopefully Durst Org will continue with more towers on their river parcels and Penns Landing will finally become more than strip malls and a casino.
I look forward to the day when some brash new developer comes along and demolishes the Hilton to construct an even taller tower that’ll obscure the river views for the residents at this One Dock Street.