1800 Arch Street

A Look at the Lobby of the Comcast Technology Center, Philadelphia’s Tallest Building

7:00 am on December 22, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street in Center City is both the tallest building and one of the largest structures in Philadelphia, standing 1,121 feet tall and spanning over 1.5 million square feet of interior space. Completed in 2017, the supertall stands 60 stories high and features office space on its lower floors and a hotel on its upper levels, with an observation deck at the top. The project was developed by Liberty Property Trust and designed by Foster and Partners, with Thornton Tomasetti behind the structural design and LF Driscoll as the contractor. Gensler crafted the exquisite and sometimes bizarre interior of the main lobby, with an architectural style well-suited for the modern workforce and the general public alike. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY observes the east lobby of the Comcast Technology Center which is open to the employees and the public at limited times.

Comcast Technology Center. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Revising Construction of the Comcast Technology Center Before it Topped Out

7:30 am on October 7, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Since 1987, when the unofficial “Gentlemen’s Agreement” that advised against building taller than City Hall was eliminated, multiple high-rises that stand well over 500 feet tall have dramatically changed the profile of Center City. The Comcast Technology Center had first joined the skyline at the very end of 2015, and now makes an incredible impact with its height of 1,121 feet and 60 stories as the tallest skyscraper in the city. Designed by Foster and Partners and developed by Liberty Property Trust, the building stands at 1800 Arch Street and houses Comcast corporate offices along with a Four Seasons hotel. In this publication, Philadelphia YIMBY looks back at the Comcast Technology Center before it topped out.

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.

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.

Comcast Technology Center lantern testing from Pennsauken. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back At The Testing Of The Lantern On The Comcast Technology Center

7:00 am on June 13, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street in Center City was completed on August 12, 2019, when the hotel portion officially opened, becoming the tallest skyscraper in Philadelphia. The tower stands 1,121 feet and 60 stories tall, with a central concrete core and steel floor plates. The skyscraper was designed by Foster and Partners, which has designed several buildings that features metal highlights and bright lighting features, and developed by Liberty Property Trust, which used to be known as Rouse and Associates when Willard G. Rouse III ran the company before his death. Today YIMBY looks at the process of testing the lighting at the building’s lantern around the time of its completion.

Observing The Comcast Technology Center Shortly After Topping Out

7:00 am on May 30, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Over the past 40 years, Center City has become home to multiple structures over the height of 500 feet. Philadelphia City Hall was the tallest structure in Philadelphia from 1894 to 1986 at 548, then in 1987 the steel structure of One-Liberty-Place eventually passed the statue to soon top out its spire at 945 feet. The same developers of Liberty Place also developed the next tallest skyscraper in the city, the 974-foot Comcast Center from 2007 to 2017. In 2017, across the street to the west, the Comcast Technology Center became the tallest skyscraper in the city since 2017 and its first supertall skyscraper at 1,121 feet. For this development, Comcast had partnered with Liberty Property Trust, which was originally known as Rouse and Associates. The tower was designed by Foster and Partners, which has designed iconic structures such as the Gherkin in London and the Hearst Tower in Midtown Manhattan. Today Philly YIMBY looks back at the period when the iconic tower’s spire topped out.

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.

American Commerce Center rendering via Kohn Pendersen Fox

The Story of the American Commerce Center, Once Planned as Philadelphia’s Tallest Tower

8:00 am on February 10, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

During the construction of the first Comcast Center tower, many wondered whether the 975-foot-tall skyscraper would rank as the city’s tallest for much longer. Just a few months before the former’s topping out, details were released about the American Commerce Center at 1800 Arch Street, a proposal that stunned many development watchers with its 1,510-foot height. The project was being developed by Hill International Real Estate Partners and designed by Kohn Pendersen Fox, a firm that is also behind the 792-foot-tall Mellon Bank Center, currently the city’s fifth-tallest building, and Arthaus, a 542-foot-tall skyscraper currently under construction. The development was ultimately canceled and the 1,121-foot-tall Comcast Technology Center was built at the site.

The new Philadelphia skyline. Photo by Thomas Koloski

A Look Back At How The Comcast Technology Center Changed The Philadelphia Skyline

8:00 am on November 7, 2020 By Thomas Koloski

In October 2018, the 1,121-foot-tall, 60-story Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street opened as Philadelphia’s tallest building, with office space and a Four Seasons hotel on the upper floors opening in August 2019. In…

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1800 Arch Street

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