Center City

The Blue Ivy Hotel. Credit: Das Architects

Philly YIMBY Reveals Concept Massings for the Blue Ivy Hotel at 122 South 11th Street in Market East, Center City

8:00 am on January 15, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Market East section of Center City is rapidly transforming, with a number of developments currently proposed, notably on the 1100 block between Walnut Street and Sansom Street, where three high-rises are proposed close to one another, bringing mass to the local skyline. The shortest of the three is the 200-foot-tall, 86-unit Blue Ivy Hotel proposed at 122 South 11th Street. Designed by DAS Architecture and developed by Estia Group, the structure will be located at the southwest corner of South 11th Street and Sansom Street and will rise 14 stories.

The view from the 36th floor of Arthaus looking northwest. Photo by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Scopes Skyline Views From Arthaus at 311 South Broad Street in Washington Square West, Center City

8:00 am on January 11, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

YIMBY recently went on a hard hat tour of the highest currently accessible floor of Arthaus, a 47-story residential skyscraper on the verge of topping out at 311 South Broad Street in Washington Square West,…

PECO Building with the new display. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Crown Lights Restored Atop the PECO Building at 2301 Market Street in Center City West

8:00 am on January 9, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

An upgrade has been completed for the lighting array atop the PECO Building at 2301 Market Street in Center City West. Designed by H2L2 (Harbeson, Hough, Livingston & Larson), the building was completed in 1970, which was soon followed by a number of major high-rise developments in Center City. The tower rises to a total of 27 stories and 384 feet, an an impressive height for its time. While the tower does not feature an outstanding design, it is widely known for its tenant, the PECO Energy Company, which serves customers across the tri-state area and all over the country. However, the tower is best known for its 38-foot-high screen spanning every face on top of the tower, measuring 148 feet across on the north and south façades and 71 feet across the east and west faces. Over the decades, more than 17,500 digital messages have scrolled across the display.

1101 Walnut Street via Civic Design Review

Permits Filed for a 259-Foot-Tall Tower at 1101 Walnut Street in Washington Square West, Center City

8:00 am on January 8, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The booming area around the Loews Hotel and Jefferson Center, at the junction of the Washington Square West and Market East neighborhoods in Center City, is getting ready for the construction of yet another high-rise development. Demolition and construction permits have been filed at 1101 Walnut Street, a site that is currently occupied by a single-story Wendy’s fast food restaurant. It will be replaced by a 259-foot-tall, 23-story skyscraper with an L-shaped footprint, as the property extends to the north. The structure will house 111 residential units and 6,000 square feet of retail on the first and second floors. JKRP Architects have brought a vibrant mix of materials, with irregular stone patterns that will make the tower stand out on the cityscape. The permits list ARD 1105 Walnut LLC and now LD Investment Partners LLC as the current owner.

One Cathedral Square. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Machinery Arrives at Cathedral Square Phase One at 222 North 17th Street in Logan Square, Center City

8:00 am on January 7, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Excavation appears imminent for Cathedral Square Phase One, a 245-foot-tall tower proposed for 222 North 17th Street in Logan Square, on the northern fringe of Center City. The 23-story building is developed by Exeter Property Group and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as part of the two-tower Cathedral Square development, which will rise next to the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Phase One, located at the southeast corner of the block-spanning project, will replace a parking lot with a three story building. The structure will span 265,849 square feet and will offer a total of 273 residential units, over 3,000 square feet of retail space, and 18 underground parking spaces. The tower was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, which has designed many recent projects across the city.

How One Liberty Place Revolutionized the Philadelphia Skyline

8:00 am on January 5, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In August 1987, the 945-foot-tall One Liberty Place officially opened at 1650 Market Street as Philadelphia’s tallest skyscraper, soaring above the long-held unofficial height limit of 548 feet, set by the tower of City Hall in 1901. This remarkable skyscraper with a fantastical design ultimately led to the city gaining a new cluster of tall and massive skyscrapers that define the skyline to this day. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY explores the building’s progress from concept to reality, as well as its tenure as the city’s tallest skyscraper for 31 years.

Demolition Permits Filed for 12 + Sansom at 123 South 12th Street in Market East, Center City

8:00 am on January 1, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Demolition permits have been filed for the two-story parking garage located at 123 South 12th Street, at the corner of 12th and Sansom street, where the 306-foot-tall, 25-story project called 12 + Sansom is proposed. Designed by Perkins Eastman and developed by Brickstone Realty, the broad, masonry-clad tower will extend to Moravian Street and South Jessup Street and will become the tallest building within a three block radius, filling a skyline void in Washington Square West. The development will addan 220 residential units to the rapidly growing area.

Cathedral Square. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Cathedral Square Phase Two Awaits Design Reveal in Logan Square, Center City

8:00 am on December 31, 2020 By Thomas Koloski

At number one on Philly YIMBY’s December 2020 Development Countdown is Cathedral Square Phase Two, a 685-foot-tall tower planned for 1700 Vine Street in Logan Square, Center City. The skyscraper is part of Cathedral Place, a proposed redevelopment of the block-sized archdiocesan campus centered on the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, a block east of Logan Square. The development will also include a new 23-story high-rise. The taller tower will be designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, though only a general massing is available at this point. The model shows a bulky building with a lower section to the west that steps up toward the tower. Our site visit has revealed no construction activity yet at the tower site, which is occupied by a low-rise structure and a parking lot. Both towers are being developed by Exeter Property Group.

Finishing Touches Going Up on W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City

8:00 am on December 30, 2020 By Thomas Koloski

The second-tallest building on Philly YIMBY’s December 2020 Development Countdown is the W/Element Hotel, which is finishing construction at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City, a block south of City Hall. Designed by Cope-Linder Architects and developed by Chestlen Development, the 52-story skyscraper stands 617 feet tall and features a distinctive design with jagged blue glass and gray metal cladding that was inspired by the Schuylkill River and the cliffs that run along it. The building has made a significant impact on the Center City skyline, as it joins the group of 500-foot-plus towers in the Center City core.

The Laurel Rittenhouse. Credit: Southern Land Company

The Laurel Rittenhouse Continues to Ascend in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on December 29, 2020 By Thomas Koloski

The third-tallest building on Philly YIMBY’s December 2020 Development Countdown is The Laurel Rittenhouse, which is rising at 1911 Walnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City, just to the northwest of Rittenhouse Square Park. The reinforced concrete structure currently stands around one-third of the way to its eventual height of 599 feet and 48 stories. The building will feature 185 rental units as well as 60 condo units at the top. The $300-million tower was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, which has designed many buildings around the city, and developed by the Southern Land Company, which has been trying to redevelop the site into a residential skyscraper for over a decade.

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