Center City

W/Element Hotel from City Hall. Photo by Thomas Koloski

W Hotel Opens to Visitors, Marking the Completion of the W/Element Hotel at 1141 Chestnut Street in Center City

7:30 am on August 31, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

The most dramatic skyscraper to join the Philadelphia skyline over the course of the past two years is the dual-branded W/Element Hotel, which stands at 1141 Chestnut Street in Center City, a block south of City Hall. Designed by Cope-Linder Architects and developed by Chestlen Development, the 617-foot-tall, 52-story structure combines a 460-room Element Hotel and a 295-room W Hotel. The building has stood largely finished for the past few months, as the Element Hotel opened in May and its dynamic nighttime illumination finishing its testing rounds. As of last week, we may officially declare the building as complete, as the W Hotel opened its doors on August 23rd.

One Liberty Place Rainbow animated scheme from South Street. Photo by Thomas Koloski

My Liberty Lights Program Is Underway at One Liberty Place

7:30 am on August 30, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Over the course of the past two years, the decorative illumination at the crown of One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street in Center City has been under renovation, as it is being upgraded with powerful lights that can be animated into various schemes and colors. Designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Rouse and Associates (later known as the Liberty Property Trust), the tower was completed in 1987 and stands 945 feet and 61 stories tall. The contractor for the illumination upgrade is The Lighting Practice, which has also decorated the W/Element Hotel. The new lighting system is integrated with the My Liberty Lights program, which allows certain users to change the exterior lights atop the building once per day for a duration of five minutes.

The view from The Laurel Rittenhouse looking west toward Center City West and University City. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Center City West Lands at the 21st Place on Philly YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown

7:30 am on August 29, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Yesterday, Philadelphia YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown, which looks at the most frequently mentioned article categories over the course of the past year, looked at Market East, which scored 35 category mentions. Today we visit a Market Street-anchored neighborhood on the opposite side of Center City, where Center City West noted 36 category mentions and as such arrived at number 21 in the countdown rankings. The forlorn neighborhood, a domain of block-spanning parking lots, garages, and otherwise underutilized properties, is the remaining development frontier of Center City, and is finally witnessing a major development surge, albeit one on a smaller scale than it deserves. Today we look at a few of the projects transforming its rather inhospitable streetscape into Philadelphia’s newest neighborhood.

Thomas Jefferson Specialty Care Pavilion rendering. Image via Jefferson Health

Thomas Jefferson Specialty Care Pavilion Rises Above Ground at 1101 Chestnut Street in Market East, Center City

8:00 am on August 28, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Construction of the first few floors of the Thomas Jefferson Specialty Care Pavilion is underway at 1101 Chestnut Street in Center City. The building is a part of a project dubbed East Market Phase 3, which spans several blocks within the Market East neighborhood. Designed by Ennead Architects and Stantec and developed by National Real Estate Development, the tower will stand 372 feet and 23 stories tall and will feature a curvy exterior. The medical office building is part of the massive expansion plans that Jefferson Health is currently implementing in the area.

Thomas Jefferson Specialty Care Pavilion from South Philadelphia. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Market East Takes the 22nd Place on Philly YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown

7:00 am on August 28, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

The 22nd place on Philadelphia YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown, which looks at the most frequently mentioned article categories over the course of the past year, goes to Market East. This Center City neighborhood, situated east of City Hall along Market Street, has seen rapid development over the past few years. The category owes its relatively high place on our ranking due to our consistent coverage of certain developments, notably East Market Phase 3, as well as analysis of architectural landmarks such as the PSFS Building.

1620 Sansom Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

Excavation Underway at 1620 Sansom Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

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

After demolition finally wrapped up at 1620 Sansom Street, excavation work is underway for the 340-foot-tall, 28-story high-rise. The tower will stand in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood of Center City, just two blocks to the south of Liberty Place. The building will feature 306 residential units, as well as commercial space on the ground floor. The earlier iteration’s unit and lesser floor count was bumped up two months ago via a permit filing.

33 North 22nd Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz / PMC Property Group via the Civic Design Review

Architecture Firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz Comes In at Number 23 on Philly YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown

7:30 am on August 27, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Philadelphia YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown, which looks at the most frequently mentioned article categories over the course of the past year, finds architecture firm Solomon Cordwell Buenz at number 23 out of the more than 1,800 analyzed categories, with a total of 34 tags amassed during the period. The company, which is (spoiler alert) the only architecture firm to feature in the entire Countdown, owes its high ranking to both a large number of significant ongoing developments and our prolific coverage of such.

One Liberty Place and the W/Element Hotel lit up from New Jersey. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Last Year’s December Development Countdown Ranks at Number 24 on Philly YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown

7:30 am on August 26, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

We apologize for the somewhat confusing headline. Philadelphia YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown tracks the most frequently mentioned article categories over the course of the past year. Last year’s December Development Countdown, which looked at the 31 tallest buildings under construction or proposed in the city, racked up 31 category listings during its month-long run, earning it the 24th place on the ongoing countdown. Today we look at the top three entries from the December Countdown, all located in Center City, and check in on the progress they have made so far in 2021.

Current view of 1325 Spruce Street. Credit: Google.

Permits Issued for Renovation of Prewar Townhouse at 1325 Spruce Street in Washington Square West, Center City

7:00 am on August 26, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for a multi-family renovation of a four-story prewar building at 1325 Spruce Street in Washington Square West, Center City. Upon completion, the building will be refitted to house nine residential units. The renovations are expected to cost $207,350. D N Construction Company is listed as the project’s contractor.

Unfinished Liberty Place design model. Photo from Helmut Jahn

A Look at Early Iterations of Liberty Place When It Was Planned to Rise Under 500 Feet in Height

7:30 am on August 23, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Liberty Place complex in Center City is known for being the first building in Philadelphia to dramatically break the unofficial 548-foot height limit that was set by the statue of William Penn on top of City Hall. Upon completion, One and Two Liberty Place were the tallest skyscrapers on the skyline, standing at a height of 945 and 848 feet, respectively. The towers were designed by Helmut Jahn and developed by Rouse and Associates, which eventually became Liberty Property Trust. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look back at a number of early iterations of the complex when the towers were planned to stand around or under 500 feet in height.

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