In Center City West, numerous developments are under construction or are in planning stages. At 60 North 23rd Street, the two-tower Riverwalk complex stands next to the Schuylkill River. Designed by Gensler and developed by the PMC Property Group, the north tower stands 315 feet tall and 28 stories, while the south tower stands 363 feet tall and 32 stories high. The project will have a total of 711 units, with the south tower holding 380 units.
Riverwalk towers. Image via PMC Property Group
Development at the site was discussed in 2014, though the current design was revealed in November 2016. Site work was underway by early 2018, with drills and cranes on site in March. Columns for the first floor were cast in October 2018, and the north tower topped out in May 2020. The south tower restarted construction in July, with concrete pouring equipment installed onto the core. The tower was rising throughout the year with the same crane used on the north tower, and eventually topped out in June 2021. The cladding rose over 10 stories high at the time, and since then work has been underway to enclose the tower.
Riverwalk from Market Street. Photo by Thomas Koloski
The cladding reached the top in March, and now the glass is nearly wrapped around the pinnacle. The skin of the tower is now nearly complete as the cladding reaches from the ground to the parapet. With the glass nearly finished, the fraternal-twin buildings look strikingly similar to the renderings presented in 2016. With the metal having the same angled effect as the north tower, the light on the building will also manipulate light throughout the day. The towers will be the start of the next wave of construction in Center City.
Riverwalk looking northwest. Photo by Thomas Koloski
Riverwalk South is scheduled for completion at the end of 2022.
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These are sleek and came out very nice.
The developer cut corners in the design, which makes these buildings susceptible to damage from flooding on the Schuykill, as we saw during Ida. They knowingly built in a flood plain and decided to put critical building systems in locations that flood waters can easily get to. I am as YIMBY as it gets, but we need to be smart with how we build along waterways with high flooding risk.
JP-
I’m fearful that it’s going to happen again. The river sits on a flood plain
and it’s prone to flooding, even with heavy steady rain. Less than a decade
ago a “tropical storm” did similar damage to the lot where the Giant now sits. The problem with Ida was the new pumps along the Vine Street canyon failed…nice-looking complex, Philly is on the upswing.
new pumps along the Vine Street canyon failed.