Center City

One and Two Liberty Place. Photo By Thomas Koloski

Designing the Tower at Two Liberty Place

8:00 am on March 30, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Two Liberty Place at 50 South 16th Street in Center City is a 848-foot-tall skyscraper similar in style to the complex’s anchor tower One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street, with its floor boosted by an extension on the north side of the structure. Designed by Murphy/Jahn and developed by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates, the tower was erected in 1988 and stands 58 stories tall. Philly YIMBY looks at the design process through drawings by Helmut Jahn that date to 1986.

PSFS Building. Image from Hagley Digital Archives

A Look Back at the PSFS Building, the First Modern Skyscraper in the United States

8:00 am on March 29, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Loews Philadelphia Hotel, formerly known as the PSFS Building, located at 1200 Market Street in the Market East section of Center City, is a remarkable skyscraper for Philadelphia as the building was ahead of its time when it was built. Upon completion, it was the most massive structure in the skyline as the large, T-shaped tower rose almost as high as the clock tower of City Hall. The 36-story building originally stood at a height of 491 feet, the first skyscraper to be built just under the informal Gentleman’s Agreement height limit. The International Style tower was designed by George Howe and William Edmond Lescaze. William later on went to design One New York Plaza just three years before his death in 1969. The developer of the skyscraper was the Philadelphia Savings and Fund Society, which still has their iconic initials attached to the east and west sides of the blue crown above the main roof.

Rendering of 2300-24 Market Street via Tantillo Architecture.

222-Unit Tower Revealed at 2300-24 Market Street in Center City West

8:00 am on March 24, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

A 14-story high-rise has been unveiled at 2300-24 Market Street in Center City West. A new tower will rise as a vertical extension atop multiple preexisting structures, which will have their façades preserved. Designed by Tantillo Architecture and developed by Lubert-Adler, the project will add 200 new residential units in the overbuild to the 22 units in the existing buildings. A total of 173,218 square feet of residential space will take up the majority of the structure, as well as 39,855 square feet of office space and 12,048 square feet of space reserved for a future retail or restaurant tenant. The tower will stand around 187 feet tall to the roof, as shown on its Civic Design Review submission. Eight on-site parking spaces and 52 off-site parking spaces will also be included in the project.

Philadelphia skyline with unbuilt proposals. Image and models by Thomas Koloski

The Unbuilt Skyline: a Comprehensive Look at Philadelphia’s Major Canceled Skyscrapers

8:00 am on March 22, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Philadelphia skyline has grown enormously over the past few decades, yet there are many formerly planned towers that were once planned yet were never completed. Philly YIMBY recently ran a series of articles that shined a spotlight on a number of unbuilt buildings. The designs came in various unique shapes: some featured curves, some boxy, and others with sharp angled cuts that gave them distinct character. While some were notably more appealing than others, even the most subpar of these designs would have dramatically elevated the city’s already impressive skyline to a new level. Today we present what the skyline would have looked like if all of these developments were built.

Designing the Comcast Technology Center, The Tallest Skyscraper in Philadelphia

8:00 am on March 21, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street in Center City has stood as Philadelphia’s tallest skyscraper since 2017, with a height of 1,121 feet, and Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look at various concepts through schematics and models of the tower before the design was finalized.

Comcast Center (right) in the Philadelphia skyline. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back at the Comcast Center, Philadelphia’s Former Tallest Skyscraper

8:00 am on March 20, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Comcast Center at 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard is the first of a two-tower complex, which had drastically changed the Center City skyline when it passed the height of One Liberty Place, becoming Philadelphia’s tallest building. The structure was completed in 2008 and stands 974 feet and 58 stories tall, with a concrete core and steel floors. The exterior features high quality, mirror-like glass, a departure from the traditional masonry style that Robert A.M. Stern Architects is known for, as seen in limestone-clad towers such as The Alexander at 1601 Vine Street and 30 Park Place in New York City.

214 Vine Street. Credit: Moto Designshop

Permits Issued for 29-Unit Structure at 214 Vine Street in Old City

7:30 am on March 19, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for the construction of a new multi-family structure at 214 Vine Street in Old City, Center City. The development will stand six stories tall and feature 29 residential units. The building will hold 26,550 square feet of space and cost an estimated $600,000 to build.

Broad Street Station with City Hall. Photo from City of Philadelphia, Department of Records

A Look Back at “the Chinese Wall,” an Elevated Viaduct that Once Ran Through Center City

8:00 am on March 17, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the late 1800’s, ten city blocks in Center City were converted into an elevated railroad spur that serviced multiple rail lines, connected to the Broad Street Station just to the west of City Hall, near the current space Dilworth Park. A massive train shed stood behind the station, rising multiple stories tall and prominent from many directions. Designed by the Wilson Brothers, the project was developed by the Pennsylvania Railroad and was completed on December 5, 1881. The centerpiece was a five-story Victorian Gothic headhouse facing City Hall.

One Meridian Plaza (left) in the Philadelphia skyline. Photo via Daily Press

The Tragic Story of One Meridian Plaza

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

One Meridian Plaza was a 492-foot-tall, 38-story skyscraper that used to stand on the current site of the Residences at Ritz Carlton and the W/Element Hotel at 1416 South Penn Square in Center City, across from City Hall. The building began construction in 1968 and opened in 1972, just after the construction of the 1980’s skyscraper boom. Designed by Vincent and Kling and Associates and developed by Girard Bank and Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance, the tower was extensively damaged by a fatal fire in 1991 and demolished in 1999.

Terrace on 18th Street. Image by Gabe Lui Architectural Renderings

Renovations Underway at The Terrace on 18th Street in Logan Square, Center City

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

Renovation is underway at the 27-story Embassy Suites by Hilton Philadelphia Center City at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Logan Square, Center City. Upon completion, the circular tower that stands at the corner of North 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be a residential development called The Terrace on 18th Street. The building was originally completed back in 1963 designed by Oskar Stonorov of Korman Co. as an apartment building. In the 1980s it was converted into Embassy Suites, and now Pearl Properties is transforming the building back to a 288-unit apartment structure. Exterior renderings are done by Gabe Lui Architectural Renderings and the interiors are designed by DAS Architecture.

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