Demolition Underway at 412 North 2nd Street in Northern Liberties, Lower North Philadelphia

Philadelphia YIMBY’s recent site visit has observed that demolition work is underway at 412 North 2nd Street in Northern Liberties, Lower North Philadelphia. The development will rise between 2nd, Callowhill, and Willow streets in the southeast corner of Northern Liberties, near the Delaware River waterfront and a block north of Old City. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects and developed by National Real Estate Development, LLC, (aka National Development) and The KRE Group, the tower will span 351,927 square feet and hold 397 residential units, 20,431 square feet of retail, and 105 parking spaces. Construction costs are listed at $93 million.

412 North 2nd Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2023

412 North 2nd Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2023

Rendering of 412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects.

The tower slab, perched upon a low-rise podium, will anchor the budding Southern Northern Liberties skyline together with the 316-foot-tall, 27-story residential high-rise planned at 300 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard two blocks to the southeast across the elevated Interstate 95 viaduct. In contrast to the serrated form of 300 North Columbus, the tower planned at 412 North 2nd Street will a more conservative yet equally, if not more so, sleek and stylish appearance.

Mullions in various shades of gray will add depth, texture, and character to an all-glass curtain wall. Floor-to-ceiling windows will be segmented into three-by-three panel arrays, creating a modern take on the classic apertures of loft factories that once dominated the area. Grouped into four-story-tall, three-bay-wide sections, the building’s exterior will take on a rigorous hierarchy of square and rectangular forms that spans from the overall building shape down to the individual window panel.

412 North 2nd Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2023

412 North 2nd Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2023

412 North 2nd Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2023

Demolition permits were issued for the site in August and November 2021. A year and a half later, our site visit has revealed that the pace of demo work is moving along gradually, with a large portion of the expansive site cleared of the warehouse buildings that previously stood at the location, yet a significant portion of the structure is still standing.

Rendering of 412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects.

Rendering of 412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects.

412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects

412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects

412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects

Rendering of 412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects.

Rendering of 412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects.

Rendering of 412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects.

Rendering of 412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects.

Rendering of 412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Morris Adjmi Architects.

200 Spring Garden Street and 412 North 2nd Street. Site plan. Credit: Handel Architects

Rendering of 412 North 2nd Street. Credit: Handel Architects.

Although the location, situated just to the northwest of the junction of the Interstate 95 and Vine Street Expressway, currently appears quite desolate, it sits just two blocks south of the Spring Garden Station on the Market-Frankford Line and a block north of Old City. When a number of other mid- and high-rise mixed-use projects, which are currently in various stages of development, arrive in the area, southern Northern Liberties (or Cohoquinoque, as it was known before European arrival and for some time after), promises to become one of the city’s most vibrant new-construction neighborhoods.

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