Cladding Assembly Nearly Complete at 204 South 12th Street in Midtown Village, Center City

A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has observed that facade assembly is nearing completion at a 32-story, 378-unit high-rise residential building under construction at 204 South 12th Street in Midtown Village, Center City. The structure spans a site bound by South 12th Street to the east, St. James Street to the south, and Chancellor Street to the north. Designed by BLT Architects, with Hunter Roberts as the contractor, the structure will rise to a height of 366 feet and span 401,870 square feet. Permits list a construction cost of $111.7 million.

204 South 12th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller

204 South 12th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller

204 South 12th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller

204 South 12th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller

The skyscraper has substantially taken shape over the course of the past year, and, with cladding only several floors away from reaching the tower’s pinnacle, already largely resembles the final product. True to renderings, the glass curtain wall appears rather sophisticated, clad in crisp, high-quality glass (without the wavy warping that often betrays a low grade of the material). A three-story-high white mullion grid lends the otherwise ethereal building a sense of solidity. Reddish-pink curtain wall panels re-interpret the neighborhood’s predominant red brick material palette with a contemporary flair.

204 South 12th Street. Credit: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners / BLT Architects

Rendering of 210 South 12th Street. Credit: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

Sandwiched between Center City’s commercial and civic core to the northwest and the quaint Washington Square West neighborhood to the southeast, Midtown Village, a rather shabby enclave for much of its postwar existence, is being revived as a dense and vibrant mixed-use district with some of the best retail and dining options, as well as transit access, anywhere in the city.

The neighborhood builds upon its newfound success in great part thanks to its extensive stock of exquisite prewar buildings and a charming street grid where narrow alleyways bisect larger blocks between primary arterial streets. Two such alleys, the St. James and Chancellor streets, flank the tower at 204 South 12th Street on either side, which will create an intensely urban experience at either frontage.

204 South 12th Street. Rendering via BLT Architects

204 South 12th Street. Rendering via BLT Architects

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