Center City

Philadelphia 1945 and 2020 south elevation. Model and image by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Compares Massing Renderings of the 1945 and the 2020 Skyline

7:00 am on May 29, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the mid-1940s, the Philadelphia skyline still maintained the general look it received during the construction boom of the 1920s and 1930, when several new towers added significant mass to the Center City skyline. The Philadelphia City Hall still topped the skyline at 548 feet tall, but by the 40s more high-rises were nearing the top of the clock tower, with several rising in the 300-foot range. A number of Art Deco buildings stood out, with predominantly light and dark brown shades. Today Philly YIMBY compares massing renderings of the 1945 skyline and the 2020 skyline.

Site Prep Activity Spotted at 316-20 South 11th Street in Washington Square West, Center City

7:30 am on May 28, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Site prep activity has been spotted at 316-20 South 11th Street in Washington Square West, Center City. Nine townhomes are expected at the site. The project involves the demolition of an existing three-story parking garage. Demolition permits were issued in late January, so progress has been relatively slow since that time.

Delaware River Trail. Image via Delaware River Waterfront Corporation

Delaware River Trail Underway Near Penn’s Landing Redevelopment in Center City

8:00 am on May 27, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Delaware River Trail that sits just next to the site of the recently proposed Penn’s Landing redevelopment is underway in between the public space and the Interstate 95. The project is a part the Master Plan for the Central Delaware, which will extend and enhance the waterfront. Developed by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, the project will feature open space extending for six miles along the Delaware River from Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia to East Allegheny Avenue in Kensington, with the trail divided into four zones. The public space will feature new vegetation and planting, bi-directional bicycle lanes, solar lighting, and improved public access to the trail.

Two-Towered Development Planned at 200 Spring Garden Street and 412 North 2nd Street in Northern Liberties

8:00 am on May 25, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

In the last few days, details have been slowly coming to light about a large potential development planned for 200 Spring Garden Street and 412 North 2nd Street in the zone situated between Northern Liberties and Old City. National Real Estate, the developers of the massive East Market complex in Center City, is behind the project. One of the two planned high-rises is a 14-story tower situated at 2nd and Spring Garden that will hold 355 residential units. The tower will stand 149 feet tall and will also include 105 parking spaces. The other building will be located at 412 North 2nd Street and will stand 244 feet and 23 floors high. Here, 397 residential units will be situated along with 106 parking spaces.

The Lewis Tower from Arthaus. Photo by Thomas Koloski

A Look At The Lewis Tower At 1425 Locust Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

7:00 am on May 21, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia is home to a sizable collection of intricately designed skyscrapers that were built between 1920 and 1940, which still stand out on the cityscape despite being drastically shorter than the modern towers of Center City. The east side of the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood features many towers built within that time frame, including The Lewis Tower, now known as The Aria Condos at 1425 Locust Street. The structure rises 389 feet and 33 stories tall, just one block to the north of the 375-foot-tall tower known as The Drake. The skyscraper was designed by Edmund Gilchrist, and Gravell and Hall engineered the steel structure. The Art Deco building was completed in 1929.

Permits Issued for Parking Garage at East Market Phase 3 in Market East, Center City

7:00 am on May 20, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for the parking garage at 1101-53 Chestnut Street, part of the East Market Phase 3 development in Market East, Center City. The garage will be situated underground beneath the two future towers with three levels of underground parking and 300 parking spaces, which will be shared between the two superstructures. t will include 37 compact parking spots with 15 spaces for preferential parking, as well as 15 electric vehicle spaces with chargers and eight ADA spaces, where two will be van-accessible. The garage will total 156,456 square feet and cost an estimated $42,357,933 to construct.

Girard Trust Building from City Hall. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Taking a Look at The Girard Trust Building at 28-32 South Broad Street in Center City

7:30 am on May 19, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

At the end of the 1920s, right before the Great Depression, builders in Philadelphia had proposed several high-rise banks, which were constructed rapidly in the coming years. One of such towers was the Girard Trust Building at 28-32 South Broad Street, which stands just to the south of City Hall in Center City to the east of the site where One Meridian Plaza would later stand. Designed by Furness, Evans & Co. and McKim, Mead & White, which McKim, Mead & White, the latter being the architect for the old Penn Station in New York City, the skyscraper rises 394 feet and 30 stories tall. The structure was completed in 1931, the same year as the Empire State Building.

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

Conversion Work Underway at The Terrace On 18th Street in Logan Square, Center City

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

Renovation work continues at the the 27-story hotel-to-residential conversion at Terrace on 18th Street at 1776 Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Logan Square, Center City. Designed by Oskar Stonorov of Korman Co., the tower was completed in 1963 as an apartment building. In the mid=1980s it was converted into the Embassy Suites by Hilton Philadelphia Center City, around the same time as the Embassy Suites at Philadelphia International Airport also opened with a similar design. The tower is now owned by Pearl Properties, which is also responsible for The Harper and 113-121 South 19th Street. The conversion was designed by DAS Architecture, and exterior renderings are provided by Gabe Lui Architectural Renderings.

Philadelphia 1965 and 2020 south elevation. Model and image by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Compares Massing Renderings of the 1965 and the 2020 Skyline

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

In the 1960s, the Philadelphia skyline was on the verge of transformation as several massive towers were proposed at the end of the decade. In the mid-1960s, City Hall, topped by the William Penn Statue, ranking as the tallest building, with most other tall towers clustering in the vicinity. Over the next few decades, the Center City skyline has extended greatly to the east and west, with many dominant modern office towers surpassing City Hall. Today Philly YIMBY looks back and compares the skyline from 1965 skyline to its current form.

Medical Tower with Center City Towers. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking At The Medical Tower At 255 South 17th Street in Center City

7:30 am on May 15, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look at a wildly slender high-rise for its time, the Medical Tower built in 1931 at 255 South 17th Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. The tower stands just over a block away from Rittenhouse Square Park and several blocks to the south of the Liberty Place complex. Designed by McIlvain and Roberts, a firm that had also designed the American Patriots Building and 3557 Walnut Street, the building rises 364 feet and 33 stories tall. The tower is clad in brick and limestone and makes a distinctive presence on the skyline, oarticularly when viewed from the south.

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