Center City

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

Residential Conversion Complete at The Terrace on 18th at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Logan Square, Center City

8:00 am on January 24, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY revealed that residential conversion work appears to be complete at The Terrace on 18th at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Logan Square, Center City. The 267-foot-tall, 27-story high-rise was built in 1964 and previously known as Embassy Suites Philadelphia Center City. The development was gradually overhauled over the course of the past year from hotel into a 288-unit rental apartment building, and upon our site visit the development appeared as complete, with no visible of signs of construction remaining. The Pearl Properties website indicates that the building is currently available for lease.

Rendering of 2012 Chestnut Street. Credit: JKRP Architects.

2012 Chestnut Street Goes To Civic Design Review In Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on January 20, 2022 By Colin LeStourgeon

A high-rise development located at 2012 Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City, is going to the Civic Design Review. Designed by JKRP Architects, the building will stand 14 stories tall, a significant height, although likely not notable enough to make for a notable skyline addition. The ground floor will hold 3,200 square feet of commercial space, adding a sizable retail addition to Chestnut. Above, there will be 156 residential units, down from the original 162. A roof deck will be situated at the top of the structure.

2012 Chestnut Street. Credit: JKRP Architects

Construction of 14-Story Tower Anticipated at 2012 Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

8:00 am on January 17, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Philadelphia YIMBY’s recent site visit revealed no signs of demolition nor construction work at 2012 Chestnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City, the site of a proposed 14-story residential tower. Designed by JKRP Architects and developed by the Philadelphia Housing Authority (also the owner) and Alterra Property Group, the building, also known under its full address of 2012-14 Chestnut Street, will feature 162 residential units, of which 130 would run at market rate and another 32 would be classified as “workhouse housing.” The plan also includes around 4,500 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.

1222 Vine Street aka 1127 Race Street. Credit: Parkway Corporation

Parkway Corporation Seeks to Redevelop Two-Block Parking Lot at 1222 Vine Street in Chinatown, Center City

7:30 am on January 17, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Developer and parking operator Parkway Corporation is looking for opportunities to redevelop a pair of parking lots spanning nearly two entire city blocks at 1222 Vine Street in Chinatown, Center City, just north of the Convention Center. Parkway is notable for holding and operating parking lots throughout the city and beyond and, when a favorable opportunity arises, redeveloping them, whether on their own or with a partner. The case at 1222 Vine Street appears to be the latter, as the site is listed on Parkway’s “opportunities” page. Although specifics vary even depending on Parkway’s own material, the combined site spans somewhere between 52,728 to 62,840 square feet and, under its CMX-4 zoning, may by right yield well over 600,000 square feet of development space it built to a floor-area-ratio of 12 to 1.

One Liberty Place. Image by Nadia MacKenzie via ageofstock

Looking Back At One Liberty Place Shortly After Completion

7:30 am on January 16, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Between 1984 and 1987, a new monolith was constructed in the city of Philadelphia. For a long time the skyline was dominated by beige and brown buildings along with City Hall, but the blue-glass One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street in Center City has broken out of the blocky and old styles and also broke the unofficial 548-foot height limit. Designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Willard Rouse of Rouse and Associates, the tower rises 945 feet and stands 61 stories tall. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY looks back at One Liberty Place shortly after its completion.

Philadelphia skyline from New Jersey January 2022. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Observing Construction on the Philadelphia Skyline as Seen From New Jersey

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

The city of Philadelphia and the surrounding region offers ample vantage points for viewing the skyline. The more distant views often show a clear perspective of a large swath of the growing skyline, offering various angles that go unseen angles from within the city itself. These views clearly show the new vertical mass being added to Center City and beyond, with tower cranes visible in various locations. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY observes various new projects rising into the skyline from a vantage point in New Jersey to the southeast of Center City.

107 Chestnut Street (center). Looking northwest. Credit: Google

Despite Requirement to Rebuild, Site Sits Vacant and Paved-Over After Demolition of Historic Building at 107 Chestnut Street in Old City

7:00 am on January 15, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

In August 2020, Philadelphia YIMBY reported that permits were filed for the demolition of a historically designated four-story building at 107 Chestnut Street in the Old City Historic District in Center City, half a block away from Penn’s Landing. The structure was built in 1840, at a time when the neighborhood bustled with maritime commercial activity, and was one of the last remaining buildings on the street’s old mercantile row. The Philadelphia Historical Commission approved the demolition after engineering experts declared the structure unsafe yet required that the owner rebuild the historic edifice in its original form within a year. However, YIMBY’s recent site visit reveals that the structure’s former site still sits cleared and paved over with no signs of new construction, perched next to its lone prewar neighbor that stands surrounded by a parking lot.

200 Race Street. Credit: Ambit Architecture

Site Awaits Construction of 49-Unit Building at 200 Race Street in Old City

8:00 am on January 13, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

No progress has been made yet at 200 Race Street in the Old City section of Center City, where a six-story, 49-unit mixed-use building was proposed some time ago. YIMBY last reported on the development September 2020. Although we were excited by the attractive, high-density development designed by Ambit Architecture, in the year-plus span that has passed since, no permits have been filed for neither demolition nor new construction. As expected, our recent site visit also revealed no activity at the site, with the two single-story retail structures still standing, although both appear to be shuttered and vacant.

214 North 12th Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. December 2021

Completion Nears at Six-Unit Residential Building at 214 North 12th Street in Chinatown, Center City

7:30 am on January 13, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Philadelphia YIMBY’s recent site visit has revealed that construction is nearly complete at the four-story, six-unit residential building at 214 North 12th Street in the western section of Center City’s Chinatown, in an area alternately known as the Convention Center District. The development replaces an attractive Colonial-style townhouse. According to filings, the new structure spans 5,190 square feet, leading to an average of around 850 square feet per unit, and features full sprinkling. Permits list Kaing Estate LLC as the owner and Liu Construction LLC as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $200,000.

One Liberty Place looking northeast. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back to the Moment When One Liberty Place Passed the Statue of William Penn Atop Philadelphia City Hall

7:30 am on January 10, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

For nearly 35 years, the Philadelphia skyline has been dominated by skyscrapers rising well above 500 feet in height. The idea to breach of the height limit informally established by the 548-foot-tall pinnacle of City Hall, also known as the “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” surfaced in 1984. The first tower to rise above the limit was One Liberty Place, a daring structure for the time that rises 945 feet and 61 stories above ground at 1650 Market Street in Center City. The project was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Rouse and Associates (which eventually became Liberty Property Trust), and was completed in 1987. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look back at when One Liberty Place passed the statue of William Penn on top of City Hall.

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