Center City

Combination of renderings of planned developments in the area.

Full Look At Developments In “SoNo” – Philadelphia’s Future Development Hotbed

8:00 am on June 20, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

The southern portion of Northern Liberties, situated between Center City and North Philadelphia, is located between Spring Garden Street, Interstate 95, the Vine Street Expressway, and 9th Street. The area has notoriously languished as a dead zone for years, comprised of surface lots and industrial buildings, save for a few surviving pre-war artifacts. To the south sits one of Philadelphia’s most desirable neighborhoods, Old City, where history permeates every block. To the north, the core portion of Northern Liberties also features rich history while showing a trendy and modern flare that makes it one of Philadelphia’s hottest neighborhoods. A massive amount of development has taken place in recent years in these two districts, making it even more surprising that the abysmal area between the two has remained as it has for such a long period of time. Thanks to a collection of recent announcements for planned developments, however, this looks to be changing in a big way in the near future. With the recent flurry of announcements, Philly YIMBY makes a brief overview of the proposals.

Jefferson Health Specialty Care Pavilion at East Market Phase 3. Credit: National Real Estate Development

An Overview of the Latest Plan for East Market Phase 3 in Market East, Center City

7:30 am on June 20, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Over the course of the past year, Philadelphia YIMBY has provided continuous updates on East Market Phase 3 at 1101-53 Chestnut Street, the latest addition to the East Market development that has transformed the Market East neighborhood in Center City over the past few years. But even as construction work kicked into high gear, plans for the development continued to evolve. Earlier this year, we published an extensive review of the development’s original iteration. Developed by National Real Estate Development, it consisted of the 364-foot-tall Jefferson Health Specialty Care Pavilion at 1101 Chestnut Street, and a smaller, 288-foot-tall residential tower planned to the west. Today we look at the plan’s latest version, which updates the design for the medical tower and puts the residential component on hold, replacing it with a public plaza for the time being.

View of 225 North 12th Street. Credit: Google.

Permits Issued for Seven-Unit Building at 245 North 12th Street in Chinatown, Center City

7:00 am on June 18, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for a seven-unit residential building at 245 North 12th Street in Chinatown, Center City. Upon completion, the development will rise four stories tall. A roof deck will be accessible via a pilot house. Seven bicycle spaces will be available as well as six off-site parking spaces, with one set to be van accessible. The building will hold 7,661 square feet of space. Permits estimate construction costs at $1 million.

Arthaus topped out. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Tours Model Units at Arthaus at 311 South Broad Street in Center City

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

Recently, Philadelphia YIMBY toured a pair of completed model units at the 18th floor of Arthaus, a 542-foot, 47-story residential skyscraper under construction at 311 South Broad Street in Center City. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the tower will house 108 condominium units. The property is being was developed by Dranoff Properties, which also built and owns the Symphony House high-rise located across Broad Street to the southwest.

1620 Sansom Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Permits Issued for 1620 Sansom Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

7:30 am on June 15, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Just yesterday, YIMBY shared a construction update for 1620 Sansom Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City, showing that the garage has been fully demolished. Coincidentally, later that same day, commercial building permits were issued for the tower, the last legal hurdle before the tower can rise. Interestingly, based on the permits, the development appeared to have been upgraded with a slightly larger height and additional residential units. While initial proposals stated that the tower would rise 27 stories tall, permits show the number has been increased to 28, with an increase in residential unit count from 298 to 306. Commercial space will still be situated on the ground floor. The permit lists the floor space at 376,500 square feet and construction costs estimated at $73.9 million.

One Cathedral Square. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Cathedral Square Phase One Rises Above Ground At 222 North 17th Street In Logan Square, Center City

7:00 am on June 15, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

A portion of the ground floor has been constructed at Cathedral Square Phase 1 at 222 North 17th Street in Logan Square, Center City. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and developed by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Exeter Property Group, the reinforced concrete building will stand 245 feet and 23 stories tall and will be visible from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with an all-glass skin that angles in and out. The tower will be a part of the Cathedral Square development (formerly known as Cathedral Place), which also includes Cathedral Square Phase 2, a massive tower proposed to the north. The building’s crane is one of over a dozen tower cranes currently stand in multiple locations in Philadelphia, with most located in Center City.

Garage Demolished at 1620 Sansom Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

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

A parking garage that stood at 1620 Sansom Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City, has been demolished, paving the way for the construction of the roughly 340-foot-tall, 27-story skyscraper. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, the building will feature 298 units, along with retail space on the ground floor, and will be decorated with eye-catching cladding. The tower is being developed by Southern Land Company, which also behind The Laurel Rittenhouse Square, which is preparing to top out some time next month or the month after. The tower is proposed two blocks to the south of the Liberty Place towers, near the core of the main Philadelphia skyline.

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.

Commerce Square in the Philadelphia skyline. Photo by Thomas Koloski

A Look at Commerce Square, Philadelphia’s Twin Towers

7:30 am on June 12, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia is home to many skyscrapers designed by well-known architects from around the world. Among these are the twin towers of Commerce Square, which were designed by the renowned firm of I.M. Pei & Partners. The 565-foot-tall One Commerce Square and Two Commerce Square towers are still prominent on the Philadelphia skyline to this day, and they take up an entire city block at 2001 Market Street and 2005 Market Street in Center City. Both of the 41-story structures are framed in steel, and each is topped with a decorative diamond on the east and west faces. Maguire Thomas Partners was the developer of the towers at the time of the completion of One Commerce Square in 1987 and five years when Two Commerce Square was completed, which was also the time when the developers decided to split their partnership.

Philadelphia skyline from I-95. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Observing the Growing Philadelphia Skyline from the Interstate 95

7:00 am on June 9, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Multiple highways around Center City offer great perspectives of the Philadelphia skyline. One of the best vantage points located along the Interstate 95, which presents a look at the skyline where the towers scatter in broad view from east to west, with underway developments in multiple neighborhoods easy to pinpoint. Of course, the Center City skyscrapers stand out prominently, and even smaller towers rising in Center City West can be seen from the view.

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Center City

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