Articles by Thomas Koloski

Comcast Technology Center under construction July 2016. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Observing the Comcast Technology Center After the Topping Out of the Concrete Core

7:00 am on July 19, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The majority of Philadelphia’s tallest skyscrapers stand in Center City to the west of City Hall, which include the Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street. The supertall, which is the tallest building in the city, has risen into the skyline between 2014 and 2017. Designed by Foster + Partners, the tower’s structure is compromised of a central concrete core surrounded with a steel frame, with the facade mostly clad in glass and metal. The tower was developed by Liberty Property Trust, which collaborated with Comcast to erect their second tower in the city. In this article, Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look back to when the Comcast Technology Center was under construction at the time when the core had just topped out.

One Liberty Place and W/Element Hotel lighting. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Nighttime Lighting Upgrades Possibly in the Works at Several Philadelphia Skyscrapers

8:00 am on July 18, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Philadelphia skyline features a fantastic collection of prominent skyscrapers that shimmer during the day. But at night, particularly from certain angles, the skyline can be underwhelming with the amount of darkness, despite a number of bright displays. Many of the towers were not originally designed with decorative lighting, while illumination at others has faded or otherwise deteriorated over the years, so the ones still have well-maintained nighttime lighting are greatly appreciated for their look. The majority of skyscrapers that are illuminated are at some of the tallest in the city, and most of them were built around the same time period in the late 1980s within the same part of Center City. But given a number of recent developments, it is possible that original lighting schemes on a number of skyscrapers are being restored to their original look.

Observing the Comcast Technology Center Shortly After Crane Removal

7:00 am on July 16, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street in Center City has dominated the Philadelphia skyline ever since it became the city’s tallest skyscraper in 2017. The tower rises 62 stories and 1,121 feet tall, topped with a bright beacon. The tower was designed by Norman Foster of Foster + Partners, who has done many well-known projects around the world notable for their exteriors of glass, metal, and decorative lighting. The developer of the project is Liberty Property Trust, which had also developed One Liberty Place when the company was known as Rouse and Associates under Willard Rouse. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY looks back at when the crane was first removed from the near-completed Comcast Technology Center.

PSFS Building. Image from Hagley Digital Archives

A Look Back at the Construction Of The PSFS Building at 1200 Market Street in Market East, Center City

8:00 am on July 15, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the early 1900s, skyscrapers of ever-increasing heights began to rise all over the world, including in Philadelphia. By the late 1920s, the Philadelphia Savings and Fund Society was looking for extra space in the city and was looking to construct a new building for their needs. The PSFS selected architects George Howe and William Edmond Lescaze to design a skyscraper that would stand at 1200 Market Street. Upon its completion in 1932, the PSFS Building not only dominated the skyline with its height of 491 feet and 36 stories, but was also notable as one of the first major International-style skyscrapers in the world.

TRIAD1828 and American Water. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back at the Construction of the TRIAD1828 Centre in Camden, New Jersey

8:00 am on July 14, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

One of the largest developments in the city of Camden was constructed just a few years ago. The project, called the TRIAD1828 Centre, stands next to the Delaware River and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which is not far from where the Campbell’s Stadium used to stand. The tower stands 18 stories above the ground, with a full height rising 220 feet high. The first seven levels are designated for a parking garage, with office floors rising above the parking podium. The building was originally developed by Liberty Property Trust, which backed out and allowed NFI Corp., Conner Strong & Buckelew, and the Michaels Organization to take over ownership of the property. The project went through several design iterations, with one featuring a curving glass tower standing as high as the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The final design was crafted by Robert A.M. Stern Architects.

Philadelphia 2020 and future south elevation. Models and image by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Compares Massing Renderings of the 2020 and the 2025 Skyline

8:00 am on July 13, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Philadelphia skyline has generally maintained its aesthetically appealing, iconic look at least since its major outward and upward expansion in the 1980s. High-rise buildings stack up gradually to the tallest skyscraper in the city, the Comcast Technology Center, which, at 1,121 feet tall, is Philadelphia’s first supertall. A number of other large skyscrapers also rose during the recent construction boom. In the next four years and beyond, Center City and the surrounding neighborhoods will gain yet more tall high-rise buildings. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY compares the 2020 skyline to how it will likely look in 2025.

2400 Market Street (left). Photo by Thomas Koloski

A Look Back at the Aramark Headquarters Renovation at 2400 Market Street in Center City West

7:00 am on July 12, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Aramark, a food service provider, has been based in the Philadelphia area for many years, with the company’s headquarters is located in Center City. Before the its present location at 2400 Market Street by the Schuylkill River, the company was headquartered at 1101 Market Street in Market East. Designed by Varenhorst Architects and Gensler and developed by the PMC Property Group, the new headquarters involved a renovation of an existing structure with a five-story extension built at the top. The renovated building stands nine stories, bringing a modern design to an area where older architecture predominates. The project also includes retail, residential, and office space.

Philadelphia skyline 1969. Photo and edit by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Presents Mockup Time Lapse of the Philadelphia Skyline from 1901 to 2020

8:00 am on July 11, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

YIMBY has presented extensive coverage on the development of the Philadelphia skyline over the decades. In its early years, church steeples, factory chimneys, and shot towers dominated the skyline, rising above numerous low-rise buildings. Office towers began to rise in the early twentieth century, as businesses flocked to Center City, and proliferated more rapidly in the following decades, particularly in the past 40 years. Today we present an animated rendering of the skyline, showing how the mass of skyscrapers had risen from 1901 to 2020. Each frame shows the towers under their current construction status for the year depicted.

Walt Whitman Bridge from King Street in Gloucester City October 2016. Photo by Thomas Koloski

A Look Back at the Walt Whitman Bridge Repainting in 2017

7:00 am on July 10, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Over five years ago, the Walt Whitman Bridge in Walt Whitman Bridge in South Philadelphia was preparing for a renovation that would span several years. The 11,981-foot-long suspension bridge (2,000 feet long at the main span) opened on May 16, 1957 and was in need of a repaint after the last paint job in the late 1990s. The bridge was developed by Delaware River Port Authority and designed by Othmar Ammann, who had designed notable bridges such as New York City‘s Verrazzano-Narrows-Bridge, George Washington Bridge, Bayonne Bridge, and the Bronx-Whilestine Bridge. The bridges towers stand 378 feet tall and has a clearance of 153 feet above the river.

Philadelphia 1905 and 2020 south elevation. Photo by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Presents a Massing Animation of the Philadelphia Skyline from 1905 to 2020

8:00 am on July 9, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Over the past few months, YIMBY has published multiple features on how the Philadelphia skyline grew over the years via custom-made three dimensional projections. In the past decade, numerous buildings have risen around Center City and beyond. Most of these have been constructed near City Hall and along Market Street, close to the main skyline core. Today we present animations of how the city skyline grew in a 115-year time span from 1905 to 2020.

Pages: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129

Fetching more...

Articles by Thomas Koloski

What’s happening in your backyard?