Articles by Thomas Koloski

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

YIMBY Observes The Rising Philadelphia Skyline From The Live! Casino and Hotel In The Sports Complex District, South Philadelphia

8:00 am on May 22, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Today YIMBY looks at the skyline from a brand new viewpoint at the Live! Casino and Hotel, which has a fantastic view of the Center City towers. The photographs in this publication are taken from the parking garage, located to the south of the hotel portion of the entire project along with being to the south to the skyline. The hotel is located two blocks to the north of Citizens Bank Park, in the Sports Complex District in South Philadelphia.

Twin Independence Blue Cross Towers. Photo and edit by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Renderings of the Once-Proposed Twin Independence Blue Cross Towers

8:00 am on May 21, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In February, Philly YIMBY published an examination of the Twin Independence Blue Cross Tower proposal that was planned in the mid-1980s. The Independence Blue Cross Tower were designed by WZMH Architects, who also designed the CN Tower in Toronto, Canda. The developer, The Linpro Company, intended to build two 45-story towers on the 1900 block of Market Street. Each would have stood 625 feet tall, located 1901 Market Street and 1919 Market Street in Center City. If built as a twin pair, they would have stood next to the 565-foot Commerce Square towers, another pair of twin high-rises.

The Lewis Tower from Arthaus. Photo by Thomas Koloski

A Look At The Lewis Tower At 1425 Locust Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

7:00 am on May 21, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia is home to a sizable collection of intricately designed skyscrapers that were built between 1920 and 1940, which still stand out on the cityscape despite being drastically shorter than the modern towers of Center City. The east side of the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood features many towers built within that time frame, including The Lewis Tower, now known as The Aria Condos at 1425 Locust Street. The structure rises 389 feet and 33 stories tall, just one block to the north of the 375-foot-tall tower known as The Drake. The skyscraper was designed by Edmund Gilchrist, and Gravell and Hall engineered the steel structure. The Art Deco building was completed in 1929.

Philadelphia skyline lit up from South Philadelphia. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Observing the New Lighting Schemes in the Philadelphia Skyline

7:30 am on May 20, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Last month, Philadelphia YIMBY reported on new lighting schemes that are decorating the nighttime skyline. Though it was already known that One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street and the W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street, both located in Center City, are having their lighting tested, both now feature together in the skyline, with new programming visible to the residents of the city. The lights on One Liberty Place, which used to be dimmer and had sections of the lighting noticeably lit a different color, the lights have now been fixed and brightened. The W/Element Hotel used to be a dark skyscraper in the night time skyline with just the aviation warning lights noticeable, but now the skyscraper is lit up nearly as much as the FMC Tower in University City.

Girard Trust Building from City Hall. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Taking a Look at The Girard Trust Building at 28-32 South Broad Street in Center City

7:30 am on May 19, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

At the end of the 1920s, right before the Great Depression, builders in Philadelphia had proposed several high-rise banks, which were constructed rapidly in the coming years. One of such towers was the Girard Trust Building at 28-32 South Broad Street, which stands just to the south of City Hall in Center City to the east of the site where One Meridian Plaza would later stand. Designed by Furness, Evans & Co. and McKim, Mead & White, which McKim, Mead & White, the latter being the architect for the old Penn Station in New York City, the skyscraper rises 394 feet and 30 stories tall. The structure was completed in 1931, the same year as the Empire State Building.

Philadelphia 1925 south elevation. Model and image by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the 1925 Skyline

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

During the 1920s, “the Roaring Twenties,” the nation saw a major economic boom that lasted nearly a decade, until it came crashing down in the 1930s with the Great Depression. Major cities were vibrant and illuminated, with ballrooms and theaters spreading around cities. The growth also positively affected the skylines of American cities, including that of Philadelphia, which saw the construction of multiple office buildings in Center City, mostly around Broad Street and Market Street.

Terrace on 18th Street. Image by Gabe Lui Architectural Renderings

Conversion Work Underway at The Terrace On 18th Street in Logan Square, Center City

8:00 am on May 17, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

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.

Philadelphia 1965 and 2020 south elevation. Model and image by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Compares Massing Renderings of the 1965 and the 2020 Skyline

8:00 am on May 16, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the 1960s, the Philadelphia skyline was on the verge of transformation as several massive towers were proposed at the end of the decade. In the mid-1960s, City Hall, topped by the William Penn Statue, ranking as the tallest building, with most other tall towers clustering in the vicinity. Over the next few decades, the Center City skyline has extended greatly to the east and west, with many dominant modern office towers surpassing City Hall. Today Philly YIMBY looks back and compares the skyline from 1965 skyline to its current form.

Medical Tower with Center City Towers. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking At The Medical Tower At 255 South 17th Street in Center City

7:30 am on May 15, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look at a wildly slender high-rise for its time, the Medical Tower built in 1931 at 255 South 17th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. The tower stands just over a block away from Rittenhouse Square Park and several blocks to the south of the Liberty Place complex. Designed by McIlvain and Roberts, a firm that had also designed the American Patriots Building and 3557 Walnut Street, the building rises 364 feet and 33 stories tall. The tower is clad in brick and limestone and makes a distinctive presence on the skyline, oarticularly when viewed from the south.

W/Element Hotel from Chestnut Street. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Element Hotel Opens at W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City

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

The Element Hotel at the W/Element Hotel has opened for business at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City, with the W Hotel scheduled to open in July. The 52-story skyscraper stands at a height of 617 feet, where the Element Hotel will have 460 rooms and the W Hotel will have 295 rooms, bringing the total to 755 units. Designed by Philadelphia-based Cope-Liner Architects and developed by Chestlen Development, the tower featuring a jagged top and scattered lighting. The latter was crafted by The Lighting Practice, which has lit up structures such as the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, 2400 Market Street, the PECO Building, and the Empire State Building in New York City. Tutor Perini Corporation is the contractor for the skyscraper.

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Articles by Thomas Koloski

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