Center 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.

214 North 12th Street (at center right). Credit: Google

Demolition Permits Filed For 214 North 12th Street in Chinatown, Center City

7:00 am on December 29, 2020 By Thomas Koloski

Demolition permits have been filed for a two-story commercial structure at 214 North 12th Street in Chinatown, Center City. The property is situated on the west side of the block that is located between Spring Street and Summer Street. The building has a footprint that spans 573 square feet. Kaing Estate LLC is the listed owner.

113-121 South 19th Street. Credit: Pearl Properties/DAS Architecture

Slender Tower to Rise at 113-121 South 19th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on December 28, 2020 By Thomas Koloski

Many developments near Rittenhouse Square are about to transform the local skyline. At number four on Philly YIMBY’s December 2020 Development Countdown is 113-121 South 19th Street, a slender tower proposed at a site that spans five properties, all of which will maintain their façades within the new tower’s base. This Center City tower will rise 567 feet and 49 stories high and is designed by DAS Architecture and Planning and developed by Pearl Properties, which has a handful of developments in progress across the city. Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit captures the buildings that currently stand at the site.

1826 Chestnut Street. Looking southeast. Credit: Goodman Properties

Approximately 550-Foot-Tall Tower May Rise at 1826 Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on December 27, 2020 By Thomas Koloski

A conceptual design recently leaked online for the fifth-tallest building on Philly YIMBY’s December 2020 Development Countdown, an approximately 550-foot-tall building at 1826 Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. The details of the project are entirely lacking, aside from the screenshots that depict a 42-story skyscraper along with the logo of Goodman Properties, the current owner, and possible developer. The tower will likely be residential, and appears to rise from the preserved exterior of the former Aldine Theatre, now occupied by a pharmacy. As expected, Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit has revealed no signs of construction.

Rendering of Arthaus. Image by Dranoff Properties

Arthaus Crown Starts Forming in Washington Square West, Center City

8:00 am on December 26, 2020 By Thomas Koloski

The sixth-tallest project on Philly YIMBY’s December 2020 Development Countdown is the most visible development currently under construction in Philadelphia. Arthaus at 311 South Broad Street in Washington Square West, Center City, has already made a major impact on the skyline as it nears topping out at a height of 542 feet and 45 stories (though the marketing material describes the building as 47 stories tall). Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, which also designed the 792-foot-tall BNY Mellon Center, the city’s fifth-tallest building, and developed by Dranoff Properties, the building will feature 108 condominium apartments. Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit revealed busy activity, with workers installing cladding on the superstructure.

1301 Market Street via Skidmore Owings & Merrill

460-Foot-Tall Tower Awaits Construction at 1301 Market Street in Market East, Center City

8:00 am on December 24, 2020 By Thomas Koloski

The eighth-tallest building on Philly YIMBY’s December 2020 Development Countdown is a 460-foot-tall, 32-story office tower proposed at 1301 Market Street in Market East, Center City, half a block to the east of City Hall. Designed by the the globally renowned firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and developed by the Oliver Tyrone Pulver Corporation, the massive building will yield over 700,000 square feet, with floor plates at the lower levels measuring over 25,000 square feet and those at the upper floors at over 17,000 square feet. The project is being marketed by Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated.

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