Articles by Thomas Koloski

Two Cathedral Square in the Philadelphia skyline from the Museum of Art. Photo and model by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Massings of Two Cathedral Square in the Philadelphia Skyline

8:00 am on January 18, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

While the Philadelphia skyline is growing upward, it is also extending further outward with new proposals. Cathedral Square, a development consisting of two skyscrapers, is on its way up in the Logan Square neighborhood in Center City, with the first tower already under construction at 1701 Race Street. Just to the north, Two Cathedral Square will soon stand 470 feet and 34 stories tall at 227 North 18th Street. The tower was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and developed by Exter Property Group and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

One Liberty Place. Image by Nadia MacKenzie via ageofstock

Looking Back At One Liberty Place Shortly After Completion

7:30 am on January 16, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Between 1984 and 1987, a new monolith was constructed in the city of Philadelphia. For a long time the skyline was dominated by beige and brown buildings along with City Hall, but the blue-glass One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street in Center City has broken out of the blocky and old styles and also broke the unofficial 548-foot height limit. Designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Willard Rouse of Rouse and Associates, the tower rises 945 feet and stands 61 stories tall. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY looks back at One Liberty Place shortly after its completion.

Philadelphia skyline from New Jersey January 2022. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Observing Construction on the Philadelphia Skyline as Seen From New Jersey

8:00 am on January 15, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

The city of Philadelphia and the surrounding region offers ample vantage points for viewing the skyline. The more distant views often show a clear perspective of a large swath of the growing skyline, offering various angles that go unseen angles from within the city itself. These views clearly show the new vertical mass being added to Center City and beyond, with tower cranes visible in various locations. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY observes various new projects rising into the skyline from a vantage point in New Jersey to the southeast of Center City.

One Liberty Place looking northeast. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back to the Moment When One Liberty Place Passed the Statue of William Penn Atop Philadelphia City Hall

7:30 am on January 10, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

For nearly 35 years, the Philadelphia skyline has been dominated by skyscrapers rising well above 500 feet in height. The idea to breach of the height limit informally established by the 548-foot-tall pinnacle of City Hall, also known as the “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” surfaced in 1984. The first tower to rise above the limit was One Liberty Place, a daring structure for the time that rises 945 feet and 61 stories above ground at 1650 Market Street in Center City. The project was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Rouse and Associates (which eventually became Liberty Property Trust), and was completed in 1987. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look back at when One Liberty Place passed the statue of William Penn on top of City Hall.

Harper Square. Image via centercityphila.org

Philadelphia YIMBY Reveals Updated Skyline Massings for Harper Square in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on January 5, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Over the past year, several new proposals for the city of Philadelphia have been revealed that will make a significant mark on the skyline. One of these is situated in Rittenhouse Square in Center City, where a project was revealed at 113-121 South 19th Street. The development, known as Harper Square, will dominate the neighborhood along with the nearly-complete Laurel Rittenhouse. Designed by DAS Architecture and Planning, the residential tower will stand 611 feet and 54 stories tall, and will include 215 units. The slender high-rise is being developed by Pearl Properties, which also developed The Harper, another residential tower located nearby. Today YIMBY presents our latest custom-made building massings that show the proposal’s future effect on the skyline.

One Liberty Place. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking at the Philadelphia Skyline from the Observatory Atop One Liberty Place

7:30 am on January 5, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia is home to several tall skyscrapers in Center City, with One Liberty Place among the most iconic in the group. The steel-framed tower rises at 1650 Market Street to a height of 945 feet and 61 stories above the ground. The skyscraper was designed by Helmut Jahn, who has unfortunately passed in May of last year, as part of the Liberty Place project developed by Rouse and Associates. At the moment, only two observatories operate in the city, as one has closed last year. Today we look at views from theh currently closed One Liberty Observation Deck, located on the 57th floor in the skyscraper’s gabled crown.

Philadelphia skyline from the Walt Whitman Bridge. Photo by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Observes Construction on the Philadelphia Skyline from the Walt Whitman Bridge

7:30 am on January 4, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

In Philadelphia, multiple major roadways lead to the bustling core of Center City, which sports most of the towers that make up the skyline. A number of bridges, including Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Betsy Ross Bridge, and the Delaware Memorial Bridge, surround the city, allowing motorists to cross the adjacent rivers. The Walt Whitman Bridge Just to the north of the Port of Philadelphia. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY observes projects under construction throughout the city from this green-painted bridge.

2019 Philadelphia skyline from the I-95. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking at a Timeline of the Recent Construction Boom on the Philadelphia Skyline from the I-95

7:30 am on January 2, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia’s compact yet extensive skyline has been rapidly expanding though the years, especially in the last four decades. In the late 1980s, five new towers were constructed gave shape to the skyline as we recognize it today, most prominent of which was Willard Rouse’s Liberty Place project, where One Liberty Place was completed in 1987. Over the past few years, a new boom of high-rise buildings has been underway after the construction of the Comcast Technology Center. In this publication, Philadelphia YIMBY observes the rising

A Look at the Lobby of the Comcast Technology Center, Philadelphia’s Tallest Building

7:00 am on December 22, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street in Center City is both the tallest building and one of the largest structures in Philadelphia, standing 1,121 feet tall and spanning over 1.5 million square feet of interior space. Completed in 2017, the supertall stands 60 stories high and features office space on its lower floors and a hotel on its upper levels, with an observation deck at the top. The project was developed by Liberty Property Trust and designed by Foster and Partners, with Thornton Tomasetti behind the structural design and LF Driscoll as the contractor. Gensler crafted the exquisite and sometimes bizarre interior of the main lobby, with an architectural style well-suited for the modern workforce and the general public alike. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY observes the east lobby of the Comcast Technology Center which is open to the employees and the public at limited times.

Philadelphia skyline from the Live! Casino and Hotel. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Observing Center City Buildings Under Construction from The Live! Casino and Hotel

7:30 am on December 18, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Philadelphia skyline has been significantly expanding for the past several years, making a drastic change to the look of the city. The construction boom started when the Comcast Technology Center was under construction in 2015, and since that time a great number of projects have been completed and are underway. Today we take a look at the new image of the skyline from the Live! Casino and Hotel, highlighting the projects that are currently under construction.

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Articles by Thomas Koloski

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