Articles by Thomas Koloski

One and Two Liberty Place. Photo By Thomas Koloski

Designing the Tower at Two Liberty Place

8:00 am on March 30, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Two Liberty Place at 50 South 16th Street in Center City is a 848-foot-tall skyscraper similar in style to the complex’s anchor tower One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street, with its floor boosted by an extension on the north side of the structure. Designed by Murphy/Jahn and developed by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates, the tower was erected in 1988 and stands 58 stories tall. Philly YIMBY looks at the design process through drawings by Helmut Jahn that date to 1986.

PSFS Building. Image from Hagley Digital Archives

A Look Back at the PSFS Building, the First Modern Skyscraper in the United States

8:00 am on March 29, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Loews Philadelphia Hotel, formerly known as the PSFS Building, located at 1200 Market Street in the Market East section of Center City, is a remarkable skyscraper for Philadelphia as the building was ahead of its time when it was built. Upon completion, it was the most massive structure in the skyline as the large, T-shaped tower rose almost as high as the clock tower of City Hall. The 36-story building originally stood at a height of 491 feet, the first skyscraper to be built just under the informal Gentleman’s Agreement height limit. The International Style tower was designed by George Howe and William Edmond Lescaze. William later on went to design One New York Plaza just three years before his death in 1969. The developer of the skyscraper was the Philadelphia Savings and Fund Society, which still has their iconic initials attached to the east and west sides of the blue crown above the main roof.

Liberty Place unfinished design with the Philadelphia skyline, south elevation. Models and image by Thomas Koloski

Imagining the Philadelphia Skyline with the 1985 Iteration of Liberty Place

8:00 am on March 28, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

On April 5, 1984, Willard G. Rouse of Rouse and Associates announced the proposal of Liberty Place, a complex in Center City that would rise hundreds of feet above the informal height limit set by the 548-foot Philadelphia City Hall. By the next year, Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn Architects finalized the design on One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street as the design we see today, though Two Liberty Place, The Shops at Liberty Place, and the hotel all differed from their current versions. Today Philly YIMBY takes a closer look at this early iteration of the complex design.

918 North Delaware Avenue. Credit: HDO Architecture

Demolition Work Nearly Finished at 918 North Delaware Avenue in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia

8:00 am on March 27, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Demolition work is nearly complete at 918 North Delaware Avenue (aka 918-80 North Delaware Avenue) in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia. The large site, which used to feature a number of prewar industrial structures, will be redeveloped as a 418,480-square-foot complex with a total of 462 residential units. Designed by L2Partridge and developed by Core Realty, the project will consist of five buildings that will stand seven stories tall, as well as an additional low-rise structure. The buildings will measure 80,995, 101,648, 74,677, 59,799, 95,615, and 5,776 square feet. All will be clad in different shades of brick cladding and glass.

Piazza Terminal at 1075 Germantown Avenue. Credit: BKV Group

Piazza Terminal Continues to Rise in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia

8:00 am on March 25, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Construction is making progress on multiple structures that comprise the 4.4-acre Piazza Terminal project at 1075 Germantown Avenue in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia, where work has been ongoing for over a year now. Designed by BKV Group, the three towers will feature varying shades of stone cladding, ground floor retail, and public space. The property is being developed by the Post Brothers, which is also behind developments such as The Atlantic and The Poplar Apartments. The project will hold a total of 1,166,980 square feet and will contain 1,144 units. The tallest building planned to stand 16 stories high and 180 feet tall.

Philadelphia skyline with unbuilt proposals. Image and models by Thomas Koloski

The Unbuilt Skyline: a Comprehensive Look at Philadelphia’s Major Canceled Skyscrapers

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

The Philadelphia skyline has grown enormously over the past few decades, yet there are many formerly planned towers that were once planned yet were never completed. Philly YIMBY recently ran a series of articles that shined a spotlight on a number of unbuilt buildings. The designs came in various unique shapes: some featured curves, some boxy, and others with sharp angled cuts that gave them distinct character. While some were notably more appealing than others, even the most subpar of these designs would have dramatically elevated the city’s already impressive skyline to a new level. Today we present what the skyline would have looked like if all of these developments were built.

Designing the Comcast Technology Center, The Tallest Skyscraper in Philadelphia

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

The Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street in Center City has stood as Philadelphia’s tallest skyscraper since 2017, with a height of 1,121 feet, and Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look at various concepts through schematics and models of the tower before the design was finalized.

Comcast Center (right) in the Philadelphia skyline. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back at the Comcast Center, Philadelphia’s Former Tallest Skyscraper

8:00 am on March 20, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Comcast Center at 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard is the first of a two-tower complex, which had drastically changed the Center City skyline when it passed the height of One Liberty Place, becoming Philadelphia’s tallest building. The structure was completed in 2008 and stands 974 feet and 58 stories tall, with a concrete core and steel floors. The exterior features high quality, mirror-like glass, a departure from the traditional masonry style that Robert A.M. Stern Architects is known for, as seen in limestone-clad towers such as The Alexander at 1601 Vine Street and 30 Park Place in New York City.

Cira Center, Evo, and FMC Tower from South Street. Photo by Thomas Koloski

A Look Back at How FMC Tower Elevated the West Philadelphia Skyline

8:00 am on March 19, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The 736-foot-tall, 49-story FMC Tower at 2929 Walnut Street has stood as one of the tallest towers in Philadelphia since its completion in 2017, with a sharp design that elevates the University City skyline to new heights once seen as barely imaginable for the area. Along with Evo and Cira Green, the tower has given West Philadelphia a dramatic profile with eye-catching good designs. The abovementioned skyscrapers have the same designer, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, and all feature angled cuts. Developed by Brandywine Realty Trust, FMC Tower also displays distinctive curvy façades. Nighttime lighting with a red FMC logo topping the north and south faces adds an extra distinctive touch.

Revisiting Visionary Plans for a 30th Street Station District Plan Supertall in University City, West Philadelphia

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

Several years ago, plans have been revealed for a major megadevelopment to be built on a new deck above the Amtrak railyard on the banks of the Schuylkill River in University City, West Philadelphia. The project is called the Philadelphia 30th Street Station District Plan, as the first phase includes restoration of the historic 30th Street Station. Designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill and developed by Plenary Infrastructure Philadelphia, the master plan shows a large number of high-rises and a supertall skyscraper that would become the tallest, or one of the tallest, buildings in the city.

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Articles by Thomas Koloski

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