Center City

The Terrace on 18th at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Credit: Pearl Properties

YIMBY Looks at Rental Apartments at The Terrace on 18th in Logan Square, Center City

7:30 am on June 30, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Earlier this year, YIMBY shared exterior photos of The Terrace on 18th, an adaptive reuse/residential conversion project for a 267-foot-tall, 27-story high-rise at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Logan Square, Center City. Designed by the architecture firm of Stonorov & Haws and completed in 1964 as the Plaza Apartments, the cylindrical Brutalist tower later served as a hotel known as Embassy Suites Philadelphia Center. Over the course of the past year, developer Pearl Properties had once again thoroughly overhauled the structure, this time converting it to 288 rental apartments. Today YIMBY looks at the unique, wedge-shaped unit layouts that resulted from the building’s unusual form.

416-20 Vine Street. Credit: Ambit Architecture.

Plans Presented for 416-24 Vine Street in Old City

8:00 am on June 27, 2022 By Colin LeStourgeon

Development plans are currently being presented to the Philadelphia Historical Commission regarding a six-story, 70-unit mixed-use development at 416-24 Vine Street in Old City. Designed by Ambit Architecture, the building will reach a height of 65 feet and feature commercial space on the ground floor. Parking space for building residents will be included in the project.

Riverwalk towers. Image via PMC Property Group

Facade Wraps Construction On Riverwalk South in Center City West

8:00 am on June 26, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

The Center City West neighborhood has taken on a new look over the past few years, as the first of the newest crop of developments are in the final stages of construction. A pair of towers dubbed Riverwalk stands at 60 North 23rd Street, near the Schuylkill River. Designed by Gensler and developed by PMC Property Group, the angled south tower rises 363 feet and 32 stories, and the north tower rises 315 feet and 28 stories. In total, the slab-like towers will soon boast 711 total units.

Liberty Place complex model. Image via Frank Whittock and Associates Inc

YIMBY Shares Detailed Models of the 1987 Liberty Place Iteration in Center City

8:00 am on June 19, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

The Philadelphia skyline consists of a number of towers that shape the city’s image, with the Liberty Place in Center City towers among its key features. One Liberty Place and Two Liberty Place, addressed at 1650 Market Street and 50 South 16th Street, are located two blocks away from City Hall. The complex, which also includes a shopping center and a hotel, was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn (recently renamed to Jahn/) and developed by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates, which had eventually evolved into Liberty Property Trust and developed both of the Comcast towers. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY presents detailed skyline massings of the 1987 Liberty Place iteration.

Broad and Lombard. Image via SITIO Architects + Urbanism

New Renderings Revealed for Broad and Lombard in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on June 17, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

The Virgin Hotels proposal at 500 South Broad Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City, has been revamped with a new design. Designed by SITIO Architects + Urbanism and developed by The Badger Group and Goldenberg Group LLC, the 468-unit development now known as Broad and Lombard will now boast a tower that will stand 542 feet (alternately pictured at 573 feet) and 43 stories tall. The project involves a renovation of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health Building, with work helmed by Voith and MacTavish Architects. The new tower will echo the design of the Public Health Building and will stand tall in the Philadelphia skyline.

One Meridian Plaza on fire. Image from The Arizona Republic

YIMBY Revisits the Deconstruction of One Meridian Plaza in Center City

8:00 am on June 7, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

During the 1960s and 1970s, multiple developments with massive amounts of office space, occupied by banking firms in particular, were constructed in Center City Philadelphia. Most of these developments featured a light brown Brutalist exterior with contrasting dark glass. Among the first such structures built was One Meridian Plaza, located at 1416 South Penn Square, which stood 492 feet and 38 stories. Designed by Vincent Kling & Associates (later known as KlingStubbins, now part of JACOBS) and developed by the Girard Bank and Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance, the tower started construction in 1968 and was completed in 1972, and featured the light brown stone cladding commonly seen during the period, along with rows of dark glass leading up to the bay windows at the top. The skyscraper eventually met its tragic demise in 1991, and was deconstructed in the following years in a process that YIMBY revisits in today’s feature.

Center City West. Looking north. Credit: Google Maps

YIMBY Observes the Rise of Center City West

8:00 am on June 3, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Center City West is a section of Center City located roughly between 21st, Chestnut, and Arch streets and the Schuylkill River. For decades, the neighborhood was comprised primarily of parking lots, yet in recent years the area has been on the rise with a large number of projects that have recently been completed, underway, and proposed. The largest developments that have originally been completed in the neighborhood are the PECO Building, completed in 1970, and the Aramark Headquarters which renovated the structure of an existing building at 2400 Market Street in 2019. With Aramark relocating its headquarters to the neighborhood, the company saw the potential of the area’s growth. 2222 Market Street, the first development of the new construction wave was revealed in 2019, and is currently underway.

Philadelphia 1987 One Liberty Place south elevation. Models and image by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Shares a Detailed Model of One Liberty Place in Center City

8:00 am on May 31, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

As the 35th anniversary for the topping-out of One Liberty Place‘s spire was commemorated, Philadelphia YIMBY has assembled a high-quality model of the skyscraper. Located at 1650 Market Street in Center City, the tower is a milestone in the skyline and Philadelphia history as it broke free of the height limit once set by City Hall and improved the city’s image. While heavily criticized by some at the time of proposal, the office tower was eventually given the green light to stand 61 stories high and 945 feet tall. The tower and the second phase of the project was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY observes an accurately detailed model of One Liberty Place on the 1987 skyline massing.

Rendering of One Dock Street. Credit: BLT Architects.

One Dock Street Popping Into View From Society Hill, Center City

8:00 am on May 30, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Despite opposition from preservationists, the long-awaited tower at One Dock Street is underway in Society Hill, Center City. The apartment building will stand 372 feet tall and 31 stories. Designed by Philadelphia-based BLT Architects and developed by LCOR Incorporated, the slim yet sizeable tower will feature 272 rental apartments and will connect to the Marriott Hotel adjacent to the site. The high-rise will join architect I. M. Pei’s three Society Hill Towers that have dominated the area since 1964.

Virgin Hotels looking southwest. Image via The Badger Group

YIMBY Looks at the Two-Tower Virgin Hotel Proposal in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on May 20, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

The South Broad Street skyscraper canyon will possibly be extended in the near future with the two-tower Virgin Hotel development at 500 South Broad Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City, bringing new skyline mass to an unexpected location. While the buildings’ heights remain unconfirmed, renderings indicate that the taller tower will rise 36 stories high while the shorter tower will stand 23 stories. The project is being developed by The Badger Group, Dranoff Properties, The Goldenberg Group LLC, and of course Virgin Hotels USA. The development was designed by Skidmore Owings and Merril, which has crafted iconic towers such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, and One World Trade Center in New York City.

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