Articles by Thomas Koloski

Broad Street Station with City Hall. Photo from City of Philadelphia, Department of Records

A Look Back at “the Chinese Wall,” an Elevated Viaduct that Once Ran Through Center City

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

In the late 1800’s, ten city blocks in Center City were converted into an elevated railroad spur that serviced multiple rail lines, connected to the Broad Street Station just to the west of City Hall, near the current space Dilworth Park. A massive train shed stood behind the station, rising multiple stories tall and prominent from many directions. Designed by the Wilson Brothers, the project was developed by the Pennsylvania Railroad and was completed on December 5, 1881. The centerpiece was a five-story Victorian Gothic headhouse facing City Hall.

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One Meridian Plaza (left) in the Philadelphia skyline. Photo via Daily Press

The Tragic Story of One Meridian Plaza

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

One Meridian Plaza was a 492-foot-tall, 38-story skyscraper that used to stand on the current site of the Residences at Ritz Carlton and the W/Element Hotel at 1416 South Penn Square in Center City, across from City Hall. The building began construction in 1968 and opened in 1972, just after the construction of the 1980’s skyscraper boom. Designed by Vincent and Kling and Associates and developed by Girard Bank and Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance, the tower was extensively damaged by a fatal fire in 1991 and demolished in 1999.

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

Renovations Underway at The Terrace on 18th Street in Logan Square, Center City

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

Renovation is underway at the 27-story Embassy Suites by Hilton Philadelphia Center City at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Logan Square, Center City. Upon completion, the circular tower that stands at the corner of North 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be a residential development called The Terrace on 18th Street. The building was originally completed back in 1963 designed by Oskar Stonorov of Korman Co. as an apartment building. In the 1980s it was converted into Embassy Suites, and now Pearl Properties is transforming the building back to a 288-unit apartment structure. Exterior renderings are done by Gabe Lui Architectural Renderings and the interiors are designed by DAS Architecture.

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Rendering of LVL North via JKRP Architects.

Second Tower Crane Erected at LVL North at 510 North Broad Street in Spring Garden, North Philadelphia

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

Foundation work continues at LVL North, a nine-story, 410-unit development under construction at 510 North Broad Street in Spring Garden, North Philadelphia. A second tower crane has been recently erected at the site. Designed by JKRP Architects and developed by Alterra Property Group, the project is replacing a parking lot that formerly took up most of the block, as well as a a rowhouse formerly located at 563 North 15th Street. The structure will span over 378,000 square feet of total space, along with GIANT leasing nearly one-third of the building’s entire space for a grocery store on the lower levels, similar to Riverwalk. Residential space will take up over 268,000 square feet.

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