A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has confirmed that demolition work is complete at the site of the a 14-story, 86-room hotel planned at 122 South 11th Street in Midtown Village, Center City. The permit calls for a total construction area of 51,181 square feet and specifies Midwest Construction and Painting Inc. as the contractor.
122 South 11th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2024
122 South 11th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2024
122 South 11th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2024
122 South 11th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2024
122 South 11th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. June 2024
The two buildings that stood at the site were apparently originally constructed as separate structures, with a two-story low-rise at 122 South 11th Street at the southwest corner of 11th and Sansom streets, and an adjacent brick-clad, four-story mid-block structure at 124 South 11th Street. Since that time, both have been functionally united into a single structure with a unified ground-level exterior treatment and interior function, where the first floor became home to the Midtown II Diner.
Even prior to demolition prep, the joined building appeared shabby to a point where we would call it an outright eyesore if not for the fact that its massing and pedestrian-friendly appeal made for a seamless fit for the block. The diner, also known as Midtown II Restaurant, offered 24-hour, budget-friendly service and was a local favorite for no-frills, round-the-clock dining for over 30 years.
Midtown II closed in June 2016, and in December of that year Sansom Realty Holdings, LLC purchased the site for $3.85 million. Demolition permits issued in February 2019, which called for a cost of work of $120,000 and specified JPC Group Inc. as the demo contractor. A construction permit was issued in September 2021. YIMBY observed demolition prep work underway at the end of last year.
122 South 11th Street prior to redevelopment. Credit: Google Maps
The project that will contribute a considerable amount of commercial density into a central, transit-accessible neighborhood, while taking up a small footprint consistent with the traditional pedestrian scale of the area’s street realm.
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Located across 11th St. from Jefferson Hospital, the site involves three parcels – the now demoed two-story structure at 122 S. 11th St. and the four-story building at 124 S. 11th St., and adaptive reuse of four-story 126 S. 11th St., its beautiful brick facade incorporated into the new hotel and restaurant.
The structure’s 190 foot height creates somewhat of a gradation between its low-rise surroundings and two taller buildings on the block bounded by 11th, 12th, Walnut and Sansom Sts. — the proposed 259 foot 1101 Walnut Street at the NW corner of 11th and Walnut and the now complete 306 foot Jessup House at the SE corner of 12th and Sansom. When built, there will be three new mid- to high-rises on this block – Jessup House (NW corner of the block), 1101 Walnut (SE corner) and Blue Ivy (NE corner).
Hopefully, Blue Ivy construction will proceed quickly similar to that of Jessup House and unlike that of 1101 Walnut Street, the site vacant since 2021.
Graffiti at 126 S. 11th St., on a wall soon to be covered, is vandalism. Graffiti on newly constructed Jessup House’s brick wall is vandalism squared.
Very nice design. 😁