Articles by Vitali Ogorodnikov

W/Element Hotel from City Hall. Photo by Thomas Koloski

W Hotel Opens to Visitors, Marking the Completion of the W/Element Hotel at 1141 Chestnut Street in Center City

The most dramatic skyscraper to join the Philadelphia skyline over the course of the past two years is the dual-branded W/Element Hotel, which stands at 1141 Chestnut Street in Center City, a block south of City Hall. Designed by Cope-Linder Architects and developed by Chestlen Development, the 617-foot-tall, 52-story structure combines a 460-room Element Hotel and a 295-room W Hotel. The building has stood largely finished for the past few months, as the Element Hotel opened in May and its dynamic nighttime illumination finishing its testing rounds. As of last week, we may officially declare the building as complete, as the W Hotel opened its doors on August 23rd.

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4309 Westminster Avenue. Looking northwest. Credit: Google Maps

Permits Issued for Renovation and Vertical Extension at 4309 Westminster Avenue in Belmont, West Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the renovation and a single-story vertical extension for a three-story rowhouse at 4309 Westminster Avenue in Belmont, West Philadelphia. The building, situated on the north side of the block between North 43rd Street and Belmont Avenue, is part of a block-long ensemble of prewar rowhouses. The project will cover 3,080 square feet of existing interior space and add 767 square feet of new construction, and will feature three residential units as well as an accessible green roof. Permits list Horace Andrews as the owner, Christopher Menna as the design professional, and Terox Electric & Construction Corp. as the contractor. Construction costs are listed at $50,000.

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The view from The Laurel Rittenhouse looking west toward Center City West and University City. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Center City West Lands at the 21st Place on Philly YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown

Yesterday, Philadelphia YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown, which looks at the most frequently mentioned article categories over the course of the past year, looked at Market East, which scored 35 category mentions. Today we visit a Market Street-anchored neighborhood on the opposite side of Center City, where Center City West noted 36 category mentions and as such arrived at number 21 in the countdown rankings. The forlorn neighborhood, a domain of block-spanning parking lots, garages, and otherwise underutilized properties, is the remaining development frontier of Center City, and is finally witnessing a major development surge, albeit one on a smaller scale than it deserves. Today we look at a few of the projects transforming its rather inhospitable streetscape into Philadelphia’s newest neighborhood.

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Thomas Jefferson Specialty Care Pavilion from South Philadelphia. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Market East Takes the 22nd Place on Philly YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown

The 22nd place on Philadelphia YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown, which looks at the most frequently mentioned article categories over the course of the past year, goes to Market East. This Center City neighborhood, situated east of City Hall along Market Street, has seen rapid development over the past few years. The category owes its relatively high place on our ranking due to our consistent coverage of certain developments, notably East Market Phase 3, as well as analysis of architectural landmarks such as the PSFS Building.

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33 North 22nd Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz / PMC Property Group via the Civic Design Review

Architecture Firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz Comes In at Number 23 on Philly YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown

Philadelphia YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown, which looks at the most frequently mentioned article categories over the course of the past year, finds architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz at number 23 out of the more than 1,800 analyzed categories, with a total of 34 tags amassed during the period. The company, which is (spoiler alert) the only architecture firm to feature in the entire Countdown, owes its high ranking to both a large number of significant ongoing developments and our prolific coverage of such.

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