Center City

The Philadelphia skyline as seen from the Walt Whitman Bridge. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking at Some of the Most Impactful Additions to the Philadelphia Skyline Since 2017

8:00 am on April 6, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

The Philadelphia skyline has long provided an iconic image for the city and the state, with high-rise buildings dating back to the late 19th century, the most iconic being the City Hall, which topped out in 1894 as the tallest habitable building in the world, a title it held until 1908. Each era of skyscraper construction has made a significant impact on the skyline, with prominent types of skyscrapers defining each time period. The city has recently seen a skyscraper construction boom, which began around 2017, with many high-rises completed and under construction since that time. Philadelphia YIMBY looks at some of the most impactful structures that the city has received during this period.

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the 1990 Skyline

8:00 am on April 5, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

By the start of the 1990s, Philadelphia had acquired a new image thanks to a number of then-recently built skyscrapers. Philly YIMBY presents exclusive massing renderings of the 1990 skyline as it stood just after the 1980s skyscraper boom in Center City, which has changed dramatically since its appearance just three years earlier (as presented in an earlier YIMBY feature).

Rendering of the tower via Tantillo Architecture.

YIMBY Presents Exclusive Concept Massings for 2300-24 Market Street in Center City West

8:00 am on April 3, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Today Philadelphia YIMBY presents exclusive new massings for the recently revealed residential building at 2300-24 Market Street in Center City West. Designed by Tantillo Architecture and developed by Lubert-Adler, the project, which was revealed over a week ago, will add extra floors to a number of existing structures, further boosting the skyline in an area where a number of projects were revealed over the course of the past year. In total, the building will stand 202 feet tall, or 187 feet tall to the roof, and count 14 stories, including those in the existing buildings. According to the Civic Design Review filing, the structure wills pan 213,268 square feet and will house 222 residential units.

One and Two Liberty Place. Photo By Thomas Koloski

Designing the Tower at Two Liberty Place

8:00 am on March 30, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Two Liberty Place at 50 South 16th Street in Center City is a 848-foot-tall skyscraper similar in style to the complex’s anchor tower One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street, with its floor boosted by an extension on the north side of the structure. Designed by Murphy/Jahn and developed by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates, the tower was erected in 1988 and stands 58 stories tall. Philly YIMBY looks at the design process through drawings by Helmut Jahn that date to 1986.

PSFS Building. Image from Hagley Digital Archives

A Look Back at the PSFS Building, the First Modern Skyscraper in the United States

8:00 am on March 29, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Loews Philadelphia Hotel, formerly known as the PSFS Building, located at 1200 Market Street in the Market East section of Center City, is a remarkable skyscraper for Philadelphia as the building was ahead of its time when it was built. Upon completion, it was the most massive structure in the skyline as the large, T-shaped tower rose almost as high as the clock tower of City Hall. The 36-story building originally stood at a height of 491 feet, the first skyscraper to be built just under the informal Gentleman’s Agreement height limit. The International Style tower was designed by George Howe and William Edmond Lescaze. William later on went to design One New York Plaza just three years before his death in 1969. The developer of the skyscraper was the Philadelphia Savings and Fund Society, which still has their iconic initials attached to the east and west sides of the blue crown above the main roof.

Rendering of 2300-24 Market Street via Tantillo Architecture.

222-Unit Tower Revealed at 2300-24 Market Street in Center City West

8:00 am on March 24, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

A 14-story high-rise has been unveiled at 2300-24 Market Street in Center City West. A new tower will rise as a vertical extension atop multiple preexisting structures, which will have their façades preserved. Designed by Tantillo Architecture and developed by Lubert-Adler, the project will add 200 new residential units in the overbuild to the 22 units in the existing buildings. A total of 173,218 square feet of residential space will take up the majority of the structure, as well as 39,855 square feet of office space and 12,048 square feet of space reserved for a future retail or restaurant tenant. The tower will stand around 187 feet tall to the roof, as shown on its Civic Design Review submission. Eight on-site parking spaces and 52 off-site parking spaces will also be included in the project.

Philadelphia skyline with unbuilt proposals. Image and models by Thomas Koloski

The Unbuilt Skyline: a Comprehensive Look at Philadelphia’s Major Canceled Skyscrapers

8:00 am on March 22, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Philadelphia skyline has grown enormously over the past few decades, yet there are many formerly planned towers that were once planned yet were never completed. Philly YIMBY recently ran a series of articles that shined a spotlight on a number of unbuilt buildings. The designs came in various unique shapes: some featured curves, some boxy, and others with sharp angled cuts that gave them distinct character. While some were notably more appealing than others, even the most subpar of these designs would have dramatically elevated the city’s already impressive skyline to a new level. Today we present what the skyline would have looked like if all of these developments were built.

Designing the Comcast Technology Center, The Tallest Skyscraper in Philadelphia

8:00 am on March 21, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Comcast Technology Center at 1800 Arch Street in Center City has stood as Philadelphia’s tallest skyscraper since 2017, with a height of 1,121 feet, and Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look at various concepts through schematics and models of the tower before the design was finalized.

Comcast Center (right) in the Philadelphia skyline. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back at the Comcast Center, Philadelphia’s Former Tallest Skyscraper

8:00 am on March 20, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Comcast Center at 1701 John F. Kennedy Boulevard is the first of a two-tower complex, which had drastically changed the Center City skyline when it passed the height of One Liberty Place, becoming Philadelphia’s tallest building. The structure was completed in 2008 and stands 974 feet and 58 stories tall, with a concrete core and steel floors. The exterior features high quality, mirror-like glass, a departure from the traditional masonry style that Robert A.M. Stern Architects is known for, as seen in limestone-clad towers such as The Alexander at 1601 Vine Street and 30 Park Place in New York City.

214 Vine Street. Credit: Moto Designshop

Permits Issued for 29-Unit Structure at 214 Vine Street in Old City

7:30 am on March 19, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for the construction of a new multi-family structure at 214 Vine Street in Old City, Center City. The development will stand six stories tall and feature 29 residential units. The building will hold 26,550 square feet of space and cost an estimated $600,000 to build.

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