Center City

How One Liberty Place Revolutionized the Philadelphia Skyline

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.

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12+Sansom via Perkins Eastman

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

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.

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Cathedral Square. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

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

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.

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

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.

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The Laurel Rittenhouse. Credit: Southern Land Company

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

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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