Cope-Linder Architects

W/Element Hotel from City Hall. Photo by Thomas Koloski

W/Element Hotel Lighting Sparkles as Construction Nears Completion at 1439 Chestnut Street in Center City

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

Construction is nearly complete at the W/Element Hotel, a 617-foot-tall, 52-story skyscraper that stands at 1439 Chestnut Street (alternately 1441 Chestnut Street) in Center City. Designed by Cope-Linder Architects and developed by Chestlen Development, the dual-branded tower holds a total of 755 hotel rooms. Tutor Perini is the general contractor, and The Lighting Practice is responsible for the vertical strips of that light up at night.

W/Element Hotel south face. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back at the W/Element Hotel Rising Into the Philadelphia Skyline

7:00 am on June 4, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

One of the most significant skyscrapers recently constructed in Philadelphia is the W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City. Located at the former site of the demolished One Meridian Plaza, the tower went through several design changes and different architectural firms, with Cope-Linder Architects being the final choice. The site also went through different developers, with Chestlen Development Group ending up as the final developer. The proposal was revealed in 2013, and now the tower is finally nearing completion. Today Philly YIMBY looks at the tower’s construction progress over the years.

Philadelphia skyline lit up from South Philadelphia. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Observing the New Lighting Schemes in the Philadelphia Skyline

7:30 am on May 20, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Last month, Philadelphia YIMBY reported on new lighting schemes that are decorating the nighttime skyline. Though it was already known that One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street and the W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street, both located in Center City, are having their lighting tested, both now feature together in the skyline, with new programming visible to the residents of the city. The lights on One Liberty Place, which used to be dimmer and had sections of the lighting noticeably lit a different color, the lights have now been fixed and brightened. The W/Element Hotel used to be a dark skyscraper in the night time skyline with just the aviation warning lights noticeable, but now the skyscraper is lit up nearly as much as the FMC Tower in University City.

W/Element Hotel from Chestnut Street. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Element Hotel Opens at W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City

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

The Element Hotel at the W/Element Hotel has opened for business at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City, with the W Hotel scheduled to open in July. The 52-story skyscraper stands at a height of 617 feet, where the Element Hotel will have 460 rooms and the W Hotel will have 295 rooms, bringing the total to 755 units. Designed by Philadelphia-based Cope-Liner Architects and developed by Chestlen Development, the tower featuring a jagged top and scattered lighting. The latter was crafted by The Lighting Practice, which has lit up structures such as the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, 2400 Market Street, the PECO Building, and the Empire State Building in New York City. Tutor Perini Corporation is the contractor for the skyscraper.

One Liberty Place and the W/Element Hotel lit up from New Jersey. Photo by Thomas Koloski

New Lighting Schemes Decorate Philadelphia Skyline at Night

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

Since the late 1980s, Philadelphia’s Center City skyscrapers featured appealing decorative lighting schemes. The first tower to be lit up was One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street, completed in 1987, with lights accentuating the angled crown and the sharp spire. Over the years more high-rises towers were constructed that also displayed standout nighttime lighting, with one of the biggest recent additions being the Comcast Technology Center with its massive lantern at the top. Even more recent was the W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street, where intensive testing of its the decorative lighting started just a few months ago.

Waldorf Astoria looking northwest. Image via Cope-Linder Architects

Looking at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel & Residences Once Proposed at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City

8:00 am on March 3, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Today’s entry in Philly YIMBY’s ongoing “unbuilt” series is the Waldorf Astoria Hotel & Residences Philadelphia, proposed at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City, where the W/Element Hotel is now nearing completion. The 567-foot-tall, 59-story tower would have occupied the south side of the site of the former One Meridian Plaza, a 492-foot-tall office skyscraper damaged by a lethal fire in 1991 and demolished in 1999 (yesterday YIMBY covered a supertall structure proposed earlier at the site). Like the W/Element Hotel, the Waldorf Astoria iteration was also designed by Cope-Linder Architects, though the developers at the time were Mariner Commercial Properties, Inc. and Gatehouse Capital Corporation. The tower would have featured 181 hotel rooms and 126 residences.

W/Element Hotel with decorative lighting. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Decorative Lighting Tested Atop W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City

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

In recent days, decorative lighting was undergoing testing atop the W/Element Hotel at 1441 Chestnut Street in Center City, as the dual-branded hotel readies for its grand opening in the coming months (Element Hotel in April and the W Hotel in May). Designed by Cope-Linder Architects and developed by Chestlen Development, the tower’s nighttime illumination will be particularly effective due to the tower’s prominent height of 617 feet and 52 stories, further enhanced by the dramatic design inspired by the ripples on the Schuylkill River. During Superbowl LII, the Lighting Practice, the building’s illumination designer, was inspired by multiple skyscrapers that were illuminated in green in honor of the Philadelphia Eagles and decided to switch from an all-white design to a multi-colored LED system.

1300 Fairmount Avenue looking northeast. Photo by Thomas Koloski

1300 Fairmount Avenue Welcomes Residents and Shoppers in Poplar, North Philadelphia

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

A 14-story, 487-unit mixed-use development is mostly complete at 1300 Fairmount Avenue in Poplar, North Philadelphia. Designed by Cope-Linder Architects and developed by RAL Development, the building rises 185 feet, standing prominently over the predominantly residential neighborhood. Two of the floors house retail space, occupied by an ALDI supermarket, and a parking garage in the structure’s eastern section.

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.

12-Story Residential Tower Proposed at 223 South Sixth Street in Society Hill, Old City

8:00 am on October 3, 2020 By Thomas Koloski

In recent years we saw a number of game-changing high-rise projects growing around the city, with many more in planning. rise in the past decade with many buildings soaring to new heights. But in Society Hill, the developer team of John and Mary Turchi have fought for 14 years to erect a 150-foot building at 223 South Sixth Street. The 12-story, 193,589-square-foot structure, which is proposed to sit right next to the Dilworth House while preserving most of the older building, won approval from the Historical Commission just last year. Cope-Linder Architects is the designer for the slender high-rise, which will hold just ten residential units.

Pages: 123

Fetching more...

Cope-Linder Architects

What’s happening in your backyard?