Center City

Comcast Technology Center 2014 and current design from Spring Garden Street Bridge. Left: image by Foster and Partners. Right: Photo by Thomas Koloski

Comparing The 2014 and Final Design of The Comcast Technology Center

7:30 am on August 10, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Soon after the completion of the 973-foot-tall Comcast Center in 2008, which stood as the tallest building in Philadelphia, local residents and outside watchers wondered what was next for the city skyline. Almost six years later, on January 15, 2014, the design for the Comcast Technology Center, then known as the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, was revealed to the public. The tower would become the new tallest skyscraper in Philadelphia, planned to stand 1,121 feet tall at 1800 Arch Street in Center City, across the street from the previous record-holder. The design by Foster and Partners was an unfinished version of the current building, as many portions of the building had to be finalized. The developer of the Comcast Technology Center is Liberty Property Trust, which met its fate when it was purchased by Prologis Inc. In this YIMBY feature, we compare the 2014 design and the current version of the skyscraper using renderings, architectural models, and photographs.

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

W/Element Hotel Lighting Sparkles as Construction Nears Completion at 1439 Chestnut Street in Center City

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

Construction is nearly complete at the W/Element Hotel, a 617-foot-tall, 52-story skyscraper that stands at 1439 Chestnut Street (alternately 1441 Chestnut Street) in Center City. Designed by Cope-Linder Architects and developed by Chestlen Development, the dual-branded tower holds a total of 755 hotel rooms. Tutor Perini is the general contractor, and The Lighting Practice is responsible for the vertical strips of that light up at night.

Philadelphia skyline 2017 from New Jersey. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back At Developments Under Construction In 2017

7:30 am on August 8, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia has had certain key years when skyscraper construction saw a notable surge, when many developments were underway at the same time. For instance, much of the current Center City skyline took form in and just after 1987. Another key year for construction took place in 2017, when various high-rise projects spanned multiple neighborhoods. Most of these developments stood under 500 feet, with some barely noticeable from afar, yet others added significant bulk to the skyline. The tallest skyscraper under construction was the Comcast Technology Center, the city’s first supertall tower and still the city’s tallest building. In this publication Philadelphia YIMBY looks back to when this collection of developments was underway four years ago.

Park Tower. Image via Skidmore Owings and Merrill

A Look Back At The Unbuilt Park Tower In Center City

8:00 am on August 6, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

During its boom years in the 1980s and the 1990s, the Philadelphia skyline saw multiple tower proposals, many of which ended up not being built. Among these was Park Tower, located at 1501 Arch Street in Center City. Designed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill, the two-towered development would include a 32-story, 480-foot-tall building on Cherry Street and the shorter high-rise standing 230 feet and 18 stories tall. The buildings would feature facades clad in red brick and white stone cladding. Today Philadelphia YIMBY looks back at the development and how it would fit into the skyline.

Fourth scheme of the PSFS Building. Image via George Howe and William Edmond Lescaze

YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the Fourth Design for the PSFS Building

7:30 am on August 5, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the past month, YIMBY has posted multiple publications on the PSFS Building and its history. The building stands at 1200 Market Street in Market East, Center City, with a height of 491 feet that dominates the local skyline even now, and did even more so when it was recently built. The tower was designed by George Howe and William Lescaze, who drew up several designs of the building prior to construction. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY shares the fourth iteration of the PSFS Building, which also had a physical model built.

Second scheme of the PSFS Building. Image via George Howe and William Edmond Lescaze

YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the Second Design for the PSFS Building

7:30 am on August 3, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In recent weeks, Philadelphia YIMBY has shared a series of publications on the historic PSFS Building at 1200 Market Street in Market East, Center City. Yesterday we looked in detail at the first iteration of the building designed by architects George Howe and William Lescaze, who partnered in 1929. In this feature, we present massing renderings of the second design. The roof height of the current building stands 491 feet above the ground, which is likely as high as the iterations analyzed here would have also risen.

Rendering of One Dock Street. Credit: BLT Architects.

Construction Equipment Arrives at One Dock Street in Society Hill, Center City

8:00 am on August 2, 2021 By Colin LeStourgeon

Construction equipment has arrived at the site of One Dock Street, a 374-foot-tall, 31-story high-rise proposed in Society Hill, Center City. Designed by BLT Architects, the tower will contain 272 residential units and will be connected to the existing four-story Marriot Hotel. Amenities will include a roof deck and a roof-top pool. In total, the tower will hold 288,997 square feet of space.

First scheme of the PSFS Building. Image via George Howe

YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the First PSFS Building Design

7:30 am on August 2, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the 1920s, banks were looking for space in cities around the country as the economy boomed. In Philadelphia, multiple high-rises were under construction and in proposal stages as Center City was rapidly transforming. One of these financial institutions, the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society, was scouting the city for space for a new office building and eventually selected the site at 1200 Market Street, where the William Penn Charter School once stood. Architects George Howe and William Lescaze designed the PSFS Building, which stood as one of the most massive buildings in the skyline for decades. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY presents massing renderings of an early iteration of the that was drawn up in 1928.

YIMBY Presents Massing Animations of The Philadelphia Skyline Growth from 1985 to 1990

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

In recent months, YIMBY shared multiple publications covering the historical status of the Philadelphia skyline. Though our massing renderings have gone all the way back to when City Hall stood alone in the skyline, the modern skyline largely came into being around 30 years ago, when developers finally dared to pass its 548-foot-high William Penn Statue. Philadelphia YIMBY presents our custom animation of the Philadelphia skyline rising between the years 1985 and 1990, when Center City received some of its most iconic skyscrapers.

LOVE Park Welcome Center. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Renovation Underway at LOVE Park Welcome Center in Center City

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

Renovation work is in progress at the LOVE Park Welcome Center in LOVE Park in Center City. The two-story building stands across the street to the east of Suburban Station. The renovated structure will house a restaurant, with new lighting, exterior glass, interior and roof finishes, security, and mechanical systems. The restaurant will fit 50 to 55 patrons inside, while the balcony and terrace will seat 135 people. The architect of the project is Kieran Timberlake, who had also submitted a proposal for Penn’s Landing a number of years ago.

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