Center City

Philadelphia 1985 Liberty Place massing south elevation. Models and image by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Presents Revised Massings Of The 1985 Liberty Place Iteration

7:30 am on April 29, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

On May 13, 1985, celebrations were held for the groundbreaking for the first phase of the Liberty Place complex in Center City, with another office tower, mall, and hotel under construction by February 1988. The towers, located at 1650 Market Street and 50 East 16th Street, were designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn. Originally One Liberty Place was meant to stand 915 feet, while the shorter Two Liberty Place was proposed to rise 708 feet and 48 stories tall. The project was developed by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates, which had eventually transformed into Liberty Property Trust. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY shares revised versions of our custom-made skyline massings of the 1985 Liberty Place design.

12+Sansom at 123-27 South 12th Street. Rendering credit: Studios Architecture

12 + Sansom Rises Above Ground At 123 South 12th Street In Market East, Center City

8:00 am on April 27, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

In the Market East section of Center City, a group of new developments will form a noticeable skyline cluster. At 123 South 12th Street, construction is now well underway at a project dubbed 12 + Sansom. Designed by both Bower Lewis Thower Architects and Studios Architecture, while the building was developed by Greystar Real Estate Partners, the tower will rise 265 feet and 20 stories, which will add a good amount of density to the area. The tower, which will feature a whopping 412 rental units along with amenity space, rises close to the Jefferson Health campus.

140 North 2nd Street building diagrams from former zoning permit.

Permits Issued for Renovation at 140 North 2nd Street in Old City

7:00 am on April 27, 2022 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for the renovation of a four-story prewar rowhouse at 140 North 2nd Street in the Old City section of Center City. The building will see a change of occupancy to make room for five transient dwelling units described as “visitor accommodation units.” In total, the building holds 4,523 square feet of space. Renovation work is expected to cost $200,000, according to the permit.

Rendering of 210 South 12th Street. Credit: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

YIMBY Shares Renderings of Revised Design for 210 South 12th Street in Center City

8:00 am on April 21, 2022 By Colin LeStourgeon

One of the most highly-anticipated developments in Philadelphia is the mixed-use high-rise planned at 210 South 12th Street in Washington Square West, Center City. Recently, developer Midwood Investment & Development shared with YIMBY updated details and renderings for the mixed-use project, which will rise 32 stories tall and will feature a two-story commercial space containing approximately 17,000 square feet. The structure above will hold 378 rental apartments. The development wil span 401,870 square feet. London-based Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners is the architectural firm behind the project’s design, with BLT Architects as the architect of record.

BNY Mellon Center future lobby. Image via Silverstein Properties

Lobby Renovations Underway at BNY Mellon Center at 1735 Market Street in Center City

7:30 am on April 21, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

At the time when the Liberty Place project was proposed in Center City, other developers scrambled to join Philadelphia’s skyline race to top the Statue of William Penn atop City Hall. At 1735 Market Street, the skyscraper formerly dubbed Mellon Bank Center, now known as BNY Mellon Center, has long been a major fixture of the Philadelphia skyline. The project, which started to rise in 1987, rises to a height of 824 feet, with a 792-foot-high roof, and 54 stories. The tower was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by CommonWealth REIT. Silverstein Properties, the owners of the World Trade Center in New York City, purchased the property in 2019 for $451.6 million; renovations were later announced for the tower.

Philadelphia City Hall from Arthaus. Photo by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Looks Back at the Renovation of Philadelphia City Hall in the 1980s

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

Philadelphia’s City Hall has loomed proudly in Center City since it topped out in 1894, but its tower continues to stand only thanks to several renovations. While the municipal floors of the building only rise nine stories high, the clock tower remains the largest freestanding masonry structure in the world to this day. The edifice is topped by a 37-foot-tall statue of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, which brings the tower to a full height of 548 feet. The structure was designed by John McArthur Jr. and Thomas Ustick Walter, and was completed in 1901. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look back at the direly-needed renovation for the top of the clock tower that took place in the 1980s.

1620 Sansom Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Tower Crane Erected At 1620 Sansom Street In Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on April 15, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Center City continues to grow upward as multiple projects are changing Philadelphia’s core neighborhood. In Rittenhouse Square, a tower crane was recently erected at 1620 Sansom Street, where a high-rise residential tower is under construction. Designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and developed by Southern Land Company, the building will rise 315 feet and 28 stories high. The tower will also feature 306 rental units and retail space on the ground floor.

Arthaus with Liberty Place and Comcast Center. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Decorative Lighting Spotted On Top Of Arthaus In Washington Square West, Center City

8:00 am on April 13, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

The nighttime Philadelphia skyline is getting brighter as new additions join the existing cluster of towers. In the Washington Square West West neighborhood of Center City, the new condominium skyscraper, Arthaus, rises at 311 South Broad Street, joining the rest of the Center City towers at a height of 542 feet and 47 stories. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (with Arthaus being the firm’s first residential skyscraper in the city) and developed by Dranoff Properties, the tower will feature 108 condominiums along with amenity space that includes a pool and outdoor decks.

Philadelphia skyline from South Street Bridge. Photo by The Philadelphia Inquirer

Observing The Construction Of Mellon Bank Center and Two Liberty Place

8:00 am on April 11, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

In 1984, plans were approved for the first office tower to rise above the unwritten Gentleman’s Agreement height above the statue of William Penn. One Liberty Place broke ground in 1985 and was under construction until the end of 1987, starting a new construction boom for the city that revitalized the city’s skyline. One Commerce Square had topped out the summer before One Liberty Place rose, but, shortly after the completion of One Liberty Place, the structure of the Independence Blue Cross Tower joined the skyline. By the end of 1988, the Bell Atlantic Tower was also rising, eventually bulking up the skyline by 1989.

141-43 North 4th Street. Credit: Design Blendz.

Permits Issued For 141-43 North 4th Street In Old City, Center City

8:00 am on April 1, 2022 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for a large multi-family development at 141-43 North 4th Street in Old City. Designed by Designblendz, the project includes the complete renovation of the existing four-story building on site. A portion of this building will see a one-story overbuild, while a six-story addition will be constructed at 319 Cherry Street, holding six residential units. There will be 36 residential units in total, with ten bike spaces and 13 parking spaces also included. In total, the square footage of the building will more than double, increasing to 37,566. Construction costs are estimated at $2,860,000.

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