Last year, plans had been unveiled for Two Cathedral Square, a 470-foot-tall, 34-story mixed-use commercial and residential tower proposed at 227 North 18th Street in Logan Square, Center City. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and developed by EQT Exeter, with Studio Bryan Hanes behind the landscape design, the 700,000-square-foot-plus building is part of Cathedral Square, a redevelopment master plan for the block-sized archdiocesan campus around the iconic Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. The building will offer 450,000 square feet of office space on floors two through 14. Luxury residential space will span 250,000 square feet on floors 15 through 34. The ground level will feature 4,500 square feet of retail. No permits have apparently yet been filed, so we did not expect to see any construction progress at the site, yet we still recently paid a visit to the location to check on its status, as we show in the photos below.
The development will include parking for 200 cars as well as a bicycle storage room. The building will be serviced by eight office elevators, two residential elevators, a freight elevator, and a swing passenger-freight elevator within the residential component.
Two Cathedral Square. 227 North 18th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. August 2022
Two Cathedral Square. 227 North 18th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. August 2022
Two Cathedral Square. 227 North 18th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. August 2022
Two Cathedral Square. 227 North 18th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. August 2022
Two Cathedral Square. 227 North 18th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. August 2022
Two Cathedral Square. 227 North 18th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. August 2022
Two Cathedral Square. 227 North 18th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. August 2022
Two Cathedral Square. 227 North 18th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. August 2022
At the time of our visit, we found that the parking lot, located at the northeast corner of the Archdiocesan Campus, is still being used for its intended purposes, and discovered no sign of upcoming construction. This stands in great contrast to One Cathedral Square, a 244-foot-tall, 23-story tower that nears completion at 1701 Race Street at the southeast corner of the campus. One Cathedral Square will offer 273 condominiums as well as street-level retail upon completion.
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Two Cathedral Square in the Philadelphia skyline looking south. Original image from Google Earth, model by Thomas Koloski
Two Cathedral Square promises to make a dramatic statement on the Philadelphia skyline while filling in a major street gap at the junction of Center City and Lower North Philadelphia. We look forward to further progress on the development.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Please build this higher. At least 5-7 more floors. At LEAST. Residential component can definitely 100% go higher. Otherwise, solid tower for the area. Wish there was more commercial but it seems offices are dead for the moment
They have announced that phase 2 will be modified and office component reduced.
Phase one is rental, not confo
If you look at the drawings of Two Cathedral Square, you would see no drawings of the Archdiocese building on its current location as if it doesn’t exist at all.
Supposedly the 14 floors have been saved for the Archdiocese to take over at Two Cathedral Square. But nobody in the Archdiocese is going to sign up for the space by trading in their current building. Even if the developer offers a very attractive no cost proposal to get them to take the space, the holding issue would be getting permission from the Pope to make this kosher. Nobody can tell what the Pope would say due to his simple lifestyle and his eschewing of an opulent way of living.
We can make a good argument for trading the older 50 year old Archdiocese building for newer digs with money saving accountrements that would improve our bottom line by saving us money but the Pope would be thinking whether or not the new building would inspire people who work there would give more of themselves helping the poor than on the savings accrued.
Earlier on, a condo was proposed to be included with the church offices in the new building until church officials reminded the developer it wouldn’t look too good to see the Archbishop living in luxury and that was dropped.
Maybe the Pope will approve the building on condition that the poor will be kept in peoples minds and that would be better than rejecting the space to forego savings accrued in moving to the new office.
This is a good design, and quite different from most of the boxy-modern approaches we have now. More of this, please.
Isn’t Vatican City opulent? It isn’t as boring as the other glass houses that have been built recently but still NOT on par with the Chinese and Arabs.
I think the catholic church just wants to one up the Mormons. They developed The Alexander skyscraper at 1601 Vine and multiple luxury mansions. In Europe the church has tons of gold and sliver. They are no strangers of being opulent.