Renovation work continues at the the 27-story hotel-to-residential conversion at Terrace on 18th Street at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Logan Square, Center City. Designed by Oskar Stonorov of Korman Co., the tower was completed in 1963 as an apartment building. In the mid-1980s it was converted into the Embassy Suites by Hilton Philadelphia Center City, around the same time as the Embassy Suites at Philadelphia International Airport also opened with a similar design. The tower is now owned by Pearl Properties, which is also responsible for The Harper and 113-121 South 19th Street. The conversion was designed by DAS Architecture, and exterior renderings are provided by Gabe Lui Architectural Renderings.
The Terrace on 18th Street. Photo by Thomas Koloski
In the previous update on the project, published in March, we observed that construction had started on the podium of the building, where most of the exterior work will be taking place. The original stone cladding had been dismantled, exposing the structure’s interior to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Also, banners promoting the renovation for spaces to be leased were posted, rising around five stories tall with bold words that could be seen from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The Terrace on 18th Street (left) from the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Photo by Thomas Koloski
During the recent walk around the site, we noted that the final stone cladding that is pictured in renderings was being installed on the second floor of the podium to the east of the tower. In addition, the top floor of the podium has been painted with a primer, where the same stone cladding will also extend to the top of the podium. The banner that hung on the northeast side of the building has been folded up into one row, presumably indicating that it is being taken down for the upcoming opening.
The project is scheduled for completion in June.
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If I were rich, I’d donate $$ to both design and execute an exterior renovation to do something with those depressing panels. Looks like that awful death trap hotel down by the stadiums.