Demolition

East Market Phase 3. Credit: National Real Estate Development / Ennead Architects / Morris Adjmi / BLTa via CDR

In-Depth Look at East Market Phase 3, a Two-Tower Complex Underway at 1101-53 Chestnut Street in Market East, Center City

8:00 am on April 28, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

In the late 1980s, in rapid succession, a series of skyscrapers broke through the long-held “Gentlemen’s Agreement” that unofficially restricted Philadelphia’s buildings from rising above the 548-foot-tall pinnacle of City Hall, creating the now-iconic skyline of Center City. While the skyscraper cluster transformed the area to the west of City Hall, the Market East district to the east continues to lag behind in terms of an imposing skyline. However, East Market Phase 3, developed by National Real Estate Development as part of the East Market complex and currently under construction at 1101-53 Chestnut Street, will boost the local skyline with a pair of towers rising 364 and 288 feet tall. The buildings will bring one million square feet of medical office, residential, and retail space to the neighborhood, and add a sizable public plaza. Today we take a detailed look at the transformative project.

1620 Sansom Street massing. Original image from Google Earth, edit and model by Thomas Koloski

Demolition Imminent at 1620 Sansom Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

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

The mid-century parking garage at 1620 Sansom Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City, is being prepared for demolition, with the site closed to the public and machinery at the site. The garage will make way for a 27-story, 340-foot-tall tower, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz and developed by Southern Land Company, with Hunter Roberts Construction Group as the general contractor. The three companies are also behind The Laurel Rittenhouse Square, which is rising a few blocks to to the west. Hunter Roberts Construction Group is the general contractor. The building will feature 298 residential units, 19,600 square feet of restaurant space, 5,200 square feet of retail, and 67 underground parking spaces.

2209-11 North Broad Street. Looking east. Credit: Google

Permits Issued for Five-Story, 22-Unit Building at 2209-11 North Broad Street near Temple University in North Philadelphia

7:00 am on April 9, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Permits have been issued for the construction of a five-story building at 2209-11 North Broad Street a block north of Temple University in North Philadelphia. The structure will feature a 471-square-foot retail space and 22 condominium residences. Elevator service will be included among the building’s amenities. Permits list For. Shiloh Temple and Henry Meadows L. Rev. Tr. as the owners, Christopher Carickhoff of Studio C Architecture as the designer, and V2 Properties Construction Management LLC as the general contractor.

4415 Chestnut Street. Looking north. Credit: Google

Permits Issued for Five-Story, 40-Unit Building at 4415 Chestnut Street in Spruce Hill, West Philadelphia

7:30 am on April 8, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Permits have been issued for the construction of a five-story, 40-unit mixed-use building at 4415 Chestnut Street in Spruce Hill, West Philadelphia. Designed by Wulff Architects and developed by Orens Brothers Real Estate, the building will include retail space as well as features such as elevator service, a green roof, full sprinkling, and 14 bicycle spaces. Permits list Orens Development Inc. as the owner and Orens Brothers Inc. as the general contractor. Construction is expected to cost $5.5 million. The structure will be a part of a two-building complex that extends through the block to Ludlow Street to the north, which will total 70 units. Construction is already underway on the 30-unit Ludlow Street building.

2130 North 2nd Street. Looking northwest. Credit: Google

Permits Issued for Two Multi-Family Buildings at 2130 and 2132 North 2nd Street in Norris Square, North Philadelphia

7:00 am on March 24, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Permits have been issued for the construction of two multi-family residential buildings at 2130 North 2nd Street and 2132 North 2nd Street in Norris Square, North Philadelphia. Designed by Nicholas Coulter of KCA Design Associates, LLC, the two structures will be situated on the west side of the block between Diamond Street and West Susquehanna Avenue. 2130 North 2nd Street will span a 917-square-foot footprint and will rise three stories and include three units. The building will include 3,688 square feet of floor space and will feature a basement and a roof deck. EV Development LLC is the contractor. Construction is expected to cost $252,000. Fewer details are available for 2132 North 2nd Street, which will rise from a 1,000-square-foot footprint and will also feature a basement and a roof deck. 2nd Street Developers LLC is the owner for both properties.

A New High-Rise May Be Coming to 600 South University Avenue in University City, West Philadelphia

7:30 am on March 18, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Demolition is nearly complete at a three-story budget motel at 600 South University Avenue (also known as 600 University Avenue) in West Philadelphia. Located directly on the Schuylkill River waterfront near the southernmost point in University City, the hotel was built in the postwar period and was once geared toward University of Pennsylvania visitors, and was later converted into a prison halfway house and was at times described as a “hot sheets” motel. The facility was eventually shuttered and the structure has stood vacant for years. However, Philly YIMBY’s site visit last weekend revealed that the building has almost been reduced to a pile of rubble. Given its generous zoning and location at a major university, medical, and office hub, the site may be slated for a large, and possibly high-rise, development.

Broad Street Station with City Hall. Photo from City of Philadelphia, Department of Records

A Look Back at “the Chinese Wall,” an Elevated Viaduct that Once Ran Through Center City

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

In the late 1800’s, ten city blocks in Center City were converted into an elevated railroad spur that serviced multiple rail lines, connected to the Broad Street Station just to the west of City Hall, near the current space Dilworth Park. A massive train shed stood behind the station, rising multiple stories tall and prominent from many directions. Designed by the Wilson Brothers, the project was developed by the Pennsylvania Railroad and was completed on December 5, 1881. The centerpiece was a five-story Victorian Gothic headhouse facing City Hall.

One Meridian Plaza (left) in the Philadelphia skyline. Photo via Daily Press

The Tragic Story of One Meridian Plaza

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

One Meridian Plaza was a 492-foot-tall, 38-story skyscraper that used to stand on the current site of the Residences at Ritz Carlton and the W/Element Hotel at 1416 South Penn Square in Center City, across from City Hall. The building began construction in 1968 and opened in 1972, just after the construction of the 1980’s skyscraper boom. Designed by Vincent and Kling and Associates and developed by Girard Bank and Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance, the tower was extensively damaged by a fatal fire in 1991 and demolished in 1999.

9801 Blue Grass Road. Looking east. Credit: Google

Demolition Permits Issued for a 397,000-Square-Foot Warehouse at 9801 Blue Grass Road by the Northeast Philadelphia Airport

7:00 am on March 6, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

A zoning permit has been issued for the demolition of a large commercial structure at 9801 Blue Grass Road by the Northeast Philadelphia Airport in Far Northeast Philadelphia. The single-story facility appears to have served as a distribution facility or a trucking depot until recently, though permits classify the structure as vacant. The filing lists a building footprint of 396,812 square feet, making the facility one of the largest structures to be slated for the wrecking ball in recent years.

Permits Issued for a 21-Unit Development at 1609 Poplar Street in Francisville, North Philadelphia

7:30 am on February 16, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for the construction of a multi-family structure at 1609 Poplar Street in Francisville, North Philadelphia. The development will stand four stories tall and hold 21 apartments upon completion, as well as a roof deck, a green roof, and 21 parking spaces. The building will hold 32,268 square feet and cost an estimated $4.25 million to build.

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