Features

World Trade Square aka Renaissance Plaza. Credit: Alesker & Dundon Architects

Visualizing World Trade Square, an Unbuilt Multi-Tower Complex in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia

Yesterday Philly YIMBY published a feature story covering the 1,050-foot-tall Philadelphia World Trade Center supertall planned at 456 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard on the Delaware River waterfront in Northern Liberties in 1988. After the proposal fell through, developer Carl Marks Real Estate Group contracted Alesker & Dundon Architects to redesign the project as four shorter yet still impressive skyscrapers, which were to take up most of the 5.5-acre site. The development would now be known as World Trade Square, and later as Renaissance Plaza.

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Philadelphia World Trade Center looking northeast. Model by Thomas Koloski

Revisiting the Unbuilt Philadelphia World Trade Center Supertall Proposal

In 1988, plans were revealed for a 1,050-foot-tall, 65-story Philadelphia World Trade Center supertall at 456 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard on the Northern Liberties waterfront. The tower would have stood just to the north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, located close to the boundary between North Philadelphia and Center City. The plan, which later evolved to the World Trade Square project, consisted of three shorter high-rises alongside the main tower. The skyscraper was designed by Kling Lindquist, which was also bend the Bell Atlantic Tower and the unbuilt Center City Tower. Carl Marks Real Estate Team, along with Lance Silver and Stuart Harting, were the developers.

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Twin Independence Blue Cross Towers. Image from WZMH Architects

Examining the Once-Proposed Twin Independence Blue Cross Towers

Ever since the 500-foot-plus height limit was erased after One Liberty Place went up, developers rushed to construct buildings taller than the prior boundary. Designed by WZMH Architects, the twin towers of the Independence Blue Cross Tower were originally proposed to stand next to each other, rising 625 feet and 45 stories tall at 1901 Market Street and at 1919 Market Street in 1901 Market Street and at Center City West. The group behind the design is the same as the one that designed the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. The developer of the twin tower project is The Linpro Company, which has only erected one tower that stands out on the skyline.

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Bridgeman's View Tower. Rendering via Studio Agoos Lovera

Looking Back at Bridgeman’s View Tower, an Unbuilt 915-Foot-Tall Skyscraper Once Proposed in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia

Over the course of the past three decades, many high-rise projects have been proposed along the Delaware River, yet most bit the dust before construction had ever begun. One of these is the 915-foot-tall, 66-story Bridgeman’s View Tower planned in 2007 at 900 North Delaware Avenue in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia, a surprising location for such a tall skyscraper proposal, given the area’s then-lowrise profile. Designed by Studio Agoos Lovera and developed by Marc Stien, Ryan Roberts, and an undisclosed North Jersey real estate investment team, the tower was planned to feature a mix of residential office, hotel, and retail space, with 794 condominiums and 200 to 300 boutique hotel rooms.

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Philly YIMBY Reveals Massing Models for the Schuylkill Yards Supertall in University City, West Philadelphia

Ever since the master plan for Schuylkill Yards in University City was unveiled for the first time, it displayed a supertall skyscraper dominating the 14-acre site, a feature that persisted throughout all future iterations. Renderings show a glass-clad tower rising at 3101 Market Street, accented with bronze highlights that appear similar to those at 9 DeKalb and 111 West 57th Street in New York City, which are also designed by SHoP Architects, the group behind the Schuylkill Yards master plan. Brandywine Realty Trust, the project developer, is also responsible for projects such as the 350-foot-tall tower proposed at 2100 Market Street in Center City. As of the 2016 renderings, the supertall appears to rise around 1,100 feet high.

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