Building Expansion

Harper Square. Image via centercityphila.org

Construction Anticipated at Harper Square at 113-21 South 19th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

One of the most exciting development proposals on Philadelphia’s drawing boards is Harper Square at 113-21 South 19th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. Designed by DAS Architecture and Planning and developed by Pearl Properties, the slim skyscraper is planned to rise 620 feet and 52 stories tall. The 267,874-square-foot structure will hold 215 residential units and 30,180 square feet of commercial space and incorporate existing historic buildings into the base. So far, only a preliminary approval permit had been issued, meaning that construction must await further permits to start, yet we still saw it fitting to visit the site of the proposal to document its current condition, which we share in the photos below.

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1826 Chestnut Street. Looking southeast. Credit: Goodman Properties

Still No Signs of Progress at 1826 Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

In December 2020, SkyscraperPage forumer FairmountFellow revealed a pair of renderings showing a skyscraper situated atop the prewar building at 1826 Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City, which they purportedly observed in a “local cooperative presentation.” The rendering shows a floor count of around 42 stories and indicates that the project would be developed by Goodman Properties. The development’s location next to the proposed high-rise at 113-121 South 19th Street suggests a height of around 550 feet. Although there are indications that the development is still active, no permits have been filed in the meantime and information on the project remains exceedingly scarce. We dispatched our photographer to the site to check for signs of progress, yet none were to be found, with a CVS Pharmacy still operating out of the former theater building.

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2301 Frankford Avenue. Rendering credit: Ian Smith Design Group

Construction Slowly Progresses at 2301 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, Kensington

Philadelphia YIMBY’s recent site visit revealed that construction is crawling along at a snail’s pace, if it has not stalled outright, at a mixed-use development at 2301 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, Kensington. Designed by Ian Smith Design Group, the project adds a three-story rear addition to a three-story prewar building and two smaller adjacent structures at the eastern corner of Frankford Avenue and East Dauphin Street. The finished structure will feature ground-floor commercial space and six residential units, as well as a cellar and full sprinkling. Permits list Black Oak Builders as the contractor and a construction cost of $312,000.

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1602 South 13th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022

Completion Nears at Single-Family Rowhouse at 1602 South 13th Street in East Passyunk, South Philadelphia

Philly YIMBY recently visited the construction site of the single-family rowhouse at 1602 South 13th Street in East Passyunk, South Philadelphia, and discovered that work is nearing completion at the three-story structure. The building rises on the west side of the block between Tasker and Morris streets, one house away from the intersection of 13th and Tasker streets. The development involves a near-complete overhaul of an existing rowhouse, which will increase the size of the structure from 2,685 to 2,870 square feet. Permits list Dennis Du and Khoa D. Du as owners, Toner Architects as the designer, and James DeSimone of DeSimone Contracting as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $200,000.

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2149 Cross Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. January 2022

Six Residential Buildings Complete at 2141 through 2153 Cross Street in Point Breeze, South Philadelphia

As Philadelphia’s ongoing renaissance is generating new growth throughout centrally located neighborhoods, the development boom is spreading to adjacent communities that have long been neglected by real estate developers. A prime example of this phenomenon may be found at the 2100 block of Cross Street in the Point Breeze neighborhood in South Philadelphia. In the past few years, the narrow and seemingly nondescript street, with a roadway measuring just around 14 feet wide, has seen a major influx of new development, both in the form of ground-up construction and vertical additions to existing buildings. YIMBY’s recent site visit has revealed that, over the course of the past year or so, construction has been completed at a back-to-back series of structures spanning from 2141 through 2153 Cross Street, undertaken by two different sets of developers and contractors. The buildings offer a total of eight residential units as well as retail space.

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