A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has noted that construction is making significant progress at a four-story, 28-unit structure at 2401 Washington Avenue in Graduate Hospital, South Philadelphia. The edifice is tentatively known as Building A and is a part of the larger Innovator Village complex. The new structure spans 25,264 square feet and includes a parking garage. Permits list Center City Construction and Development as the contractor and indicate a construction cost of $3.2 million.
The development spans a large lot situated at the northwest corner of Washington Avenue and South 24th Street. The complex is decked out in one of the most attractive facades among any of the city’s ongoing construction projects. The exterior is comprised of multi-tone patchwork red and gray brick and large, paneled loft-style windows. Shallow vertical piers lend a sense of texture and further emulate the factory loft aesthetic, as do the arched windows at the top level. The unadorned jet-black cornice is plainer than those of its historic counterparts, yet its color matches the color of the window frames; besides, the inclusion of any cornice is a very welcome gesture on a traditionally-styled building.
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. September 2023
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. September 2023
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. September 2023
At the time of our visit, facade work was largely complete at the building’s corner. Curtain wall assembly is currently underway on the western section of the Washington Avenue-facing elevation. The similarly-styled structures to the rear, arranged nestled around a cozy, curved, and highly urbane new alley called Innovator Way, have sat complete for some time. Below are the pictures from our visit in January 2022, more than a year and a half ago, when the aforementioned structures already stood complete yet work has not yet begun at the street-facing building covered earlier in the article. Note the exposed gray siding-clad rear elevations facing Washington Avenue, which are now obscured by the new structure.
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
2401 Washington Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022
As the name suggests, Innovator Village indeed adds a touch of fresh air and innovation to the city’s current real estate development landscape. Paradoxically, it does so by discarding the all-too-common contemporary look in favor of a detailed, well-crafted traditionalist appearance that harmonizes well with the city’s storied prewar architecture. The narrow, curved Innovator Way at once imitates the close-walled alleys of Old City, creates a fresh and memorable image via a curved path that comprises with the city’s straight streets, and even imitates the narrow winding streets of medieval European cities.
Rendering of Innovator Village via Philly Living Team.
Rendering of Innovator Village via Philly Living.
Interior rendering via Philly Living Team.
Interior rendering via Philly Living Team.
Rendering of 2401 Washington Avenue at Innovator Village via Philly Living Team.
Rendering of Innovator Village via Philly Living Team.
Rendering of Innovator Village via Philly Living Team
Site plan of Innovator Village via Philly Living Team
Innovator Village sits rather far from the subway, with the Ellsworth-Federal Station on the Broad Street Line situated within a 22-minute walk to the southeast. However, the medical district in University City sits within a similar walking distance to the northwest, across the Schuylkill River, and the popular riverfront park is even more proximate.
Innovator Village will strongly improve the pedestrian experience at the western end of Washington Avenue and will make a significant contribution to the western section of Graduate Hospital, where ample new development is rising on underdeveloped sites adjacent to a long-established rowhouse neighborhood. We look forward to further progress on the project.
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