Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit has observed sustained construction progress at 3025 JFK Boulevard, a 361-foot-tall, 28-story mixed-use tower at 3025 John F. Kennedy Boulevard at University City, West Philadelphia. Designed by the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism and developed by Brandywine Realty Trust, with Hunter Roberts Construction Group as the contractor, the building will span 559,583 square feet, with commercial and laboratory space on the lower floors with 326 residential units situated above. The building, also known as Schuylkill Yards West, is the first major high-rise to be built as part of the 14-acre Schuylkill Yards megadevelopment. Construction at 3025 JFK Boulevard is expected to cost $180 million.
Since our last visit in December, the tower has been topped out and the facade now covers most of the structure, with only seven floors remaining to be clad in the predominantly glass exterior.
3025 John F Kennedy Boulevard. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
3025 John F Kennedy Boulevard. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
3025 John F Kennedy Boulevard. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
3025 John F Kennedy Boulevard. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
3025 John F Kennedy Boulevard. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
Amenities for the building’s residential portion, which spans the tower’s upper, narrow portion, will include lounge space, a bar, co-working areas, conference and meeting rooms, a game room, a fitness center, luxury locker rooms, a terrace with lap and recreation pool, grills, a lawn, and other forms of recreational activity space.
3025 John F Kennedy Boulevard. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
3025 John F Kennedy Boulevard. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
3025 John F Kennedy Boulevard. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
3025 John F Kennedy Boulevard. Photo by Jamie Meller. February 2023
3025 JFK Boulevard will transform the northern section of University City both at the skyline and the street level, becoming one of the tallest buildings in West Philadelphia while also adding significant density and streetscape improvements to the neighborhood’s generally forlorn northeast corner, while paving the way for the rest of the Schuylkill Yards development. The building’s mixed-use program will provide round-the-clock pedestrian presence, which is particularly important for an area that is incredibly well-served by mass transit (the 30th Street Station of both regional rail and the subway, as well as multiple trolley and bus lines, are located nearby) yet is currently marred by vast underused and vacant lots. We look forward to further progress on the project.
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
Recently I took Amtrak from Baltimore to Philly. Exiting 30th Street Station (officially William H. Gray III 30th Street Station), 3025 JFK presents an imposing and beautiful view, especially when framed by the portico’s Corinthian columns. Agree that this structure will activate JFK 24/7. For those who live in the top section and work in the bottom, the commute will be a quick elevator ride. If 3025 JFK is Big Brown, next up is Big Red aka 3001 JFK.
The rendering is inaccurate, suggesting that 3025 and 3001 JFK are directly across Market St. from Drexel’s campus. Not true. The block bounded by JFK north and west, Market St. south and the Highline east separates the two. Indeed, this block is the future site of currently under construction 3151 Market St., which will substantially block the view of Big Brown from the rendering’s Drexel’s vantage point.
VO, this paragraph is outdated: 3025 JFK Boulevard received construction permits in December 2020, and the structure began to rise above ground around the end of last year. As of now, the tower stands around 12 stories tall, with concrete work in progress on the 13th level. The facade is already largely complete on levels two through five, where its broad floor-to-ceiling windows and understated gray panels and mullions give us a good idea of the building’s eventual, classically Modernist appearance.
VO, thank you for removing the outdated paragraph.
I do love the design of these two buildings and the way they will stand out at it’s location. I will only be happy when the second one goes up and is at minimum the 500+ feet height that it is said to be or taller. Love to see the skyline growing.
Have you taken progress pictures of building near 40th street trolley entrance. It is located near Clark Park.
Another visually uninteresing building…zero imagination put into it’s design.