Features

Philadelphia 1987 One Liberty Place south elevation. Models and image by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Shares a Detailed Model of One Liberty Place in Center City

8:00 am on May 31, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

As the 35th anniversary for the topping-out of One Liberty Place‘s spire was commemorated, Philadelphia YIMBY has assembled a high-quality model of the skyscraper. Located at 1650 Market Street in Center City, the tower is a milestone in the skyline and Philadelphia history as it broke free of the height limit once set by City Hall and improved the city’s image. While heavily criticized by some at the time of proposal, the office tower was eventually given the green light to stand 61 stories high and 945 feet tall. The tower and the second phase of the project was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY observes an accurately detailed model of One Liberty Place on the 1987 skyline massing.

Rendering of 210 South 12th Street. Credit: Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

YIMBY Shares Renderings of Revised Design for 210 South 12th Street in Center City

8:00 am on April 21, 2022 By Colin LeStourgeon

One of the most highly-anticipated developments in Philadelphia is the mixed-use high-rise planned at 210 South 12th Street in Washington Square West, Center City. Recently, developer Midwood Investment & Development shared with YIMBY updated details and renderings for the mixed-use project, which will rise 32 stories tall and will feature a two-story commercial space containing approximately 17,000 square feet. The structure above will hold 378 rental apartments. The development wil span 401,870 square feet. London-based Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners is the architectural firm behind the project’s design, with BLT Architects as the architect of record.

One Liberty Place from the Museum of Art. Image by Russell Kord via Alamy

YIMBY Offers More Perspectives of One Liberty Place Shortly After Completion

8:00 am on March 24, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

The idea of building higher than the William Penn statue atop Philadelphia City Hall was roundly rejected by city planners and the public for a long time. Boldly, in 1983, Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates bought a large plot of land and scouted for an architect to design a pair of limit-breaking towers. In April 1984, a proposal was revealed to the city, which was met with with heavy opposition, though the decision to go ahead with the project was eventually approved via a vote. In May 1985, the official designs by Helmut Jahn were revealed at the groundbreaking, inaugurating the construction of two office towers and a hotel, which lasted from 1985 and 1990 and changed the Philadelphia skyline in the process. Although Philly YIMBY has already looked at One Liberty Place shortly after completion, today we take look at more perspectives of the iconic structure from the time when it finished construction.

2022 Philadelphia skyline massing looking northeast. Image and model by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Presents the 2022 Philadelphia Skyline Massing

8:00 am on March 11, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Over the years, the Philadelphia skyline has been changing continually with new buildings being constructed. YIMBY has recreated the historical growth via multiple skyline massing models. The first model was completed back in 2019 and since then a series of models were made, going back to 1905. The newest model represents the skyline in the current year, reflecting multiple milestone additions to the cityscape. Like most models other than the 2019 model, the section of the city represented in our the three-dimensional mockup is bordered by the Schuylkill River, Cherry Street, 12th Street, and Walnut Street. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY will be observing the city construction on the 2022 massing.

Two Cathedral Square at 227 North 18th Street. Credit: Solomon Cordwell Buenz

The Ultimate 2022 Philly Skyline Rundown: Top 30 Tallest Buildings Under Construction and Proposed in Philadelphia

8:00 am on January 28, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Earlier this month, YIMBY reported that Philadelphia is poised for a record year of construction in 2022. Low- and mid-rise projects, the type that will provide much-needed housing units by the thousands, comprise the bulk of new development. However, the city is also slated to gain a crop of new high-rises that will further boost the already iconic skyline. In recent weeks, we published several compilations, such as the December 2021 Development Countdown and two lists tallying up the current tallest under-construction and proposed projects. Today, we put them all together and add bonus content to create the Ultimate 2022 Philadelphia Skyline Rundown, which tallies the 30-plus tallest buildings that are under construction or proposed as of the start of this year. To avoid covering too much familiar ground, we added new features to each entry, such as quick facts, featured stories, project contractors (when applicable), and extra photos and renderings, some of which YIMBY has not yet shared before. Read on for our Top 30 list, which makes for Philly YIMBY’s most comprehensive development article to date.

Two Cathedral Square in the Philadelphia skyline from the Museum of Art. Photo and model by Thomas Koloski

Top 10 Tallest High-Rises Proposed in Philadelphia as of 2022

8:00 am on January 23, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Yesterday, Philadelphia YIMBY published a list of the ten tallest buildings currently under construction throughout the city. Today, our encore looks at the top ten tallest proposals that are on the drawing boards for the City of Brotherly Love. Of these, six are located in Center City, three in University City in West Philadelphia, and one more in Poplar in Lower North Philadelphia. The list includes buildings ranging from those where construction is all but assured to projects with a rather uncertain status. Excluded are buildings that are evidently in purely conceptual stages, such as the various supertalls tentatively planned in University City. But regardless of status and actual likelihood of proximate construction, we hope to see all the projects below to move into the construction phase some time this year.

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

Top 10 Tallest Buildings Under Construction in Philadelphia in 2022

8:00 am on January 22, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Given the number of new permits issued last year, Philadelphia appears on track for a record volume of construction this year. The majority of such construction is of the low- and mid-rise variety. Of course, there are also marquee developments that will boost the city’s iconic skyline. Today Philly YIMBY looks at the ten tallest buildings under construction in the city as of 2022. Among these, seven are underway in Center City and three more are rising in University City in West Philadelphia. We look forward to seeing further progress on these developments throughout the course of the year.

2222 Market Street in the skyline from Spring Garden Street Bridge. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia On Track for Record Construction Activity in 2022

8:00 am on January 7, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

This year, Philadelphia is about to say “Yes In My Back Yard” to new development on an unprecedented scale. Over the course of last year, the Department of Licenses and Inspections issued a slew of permit approvals that may result in the construction of approximately 10,000 new rental units, roughly triple the number of the average total per typical year. Moreover, during the same period, a total of 90 proposed developments went before the Civic Design Review (CDR) board, which makes non-binding suggestions for projects that meet certain criteria depending on size and location. The number roughly doubles the average yearly volume and has set a record for CDR submission history.

Arthaus and Center City towers from the I-95. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Toward the Blue Yonder: Comparing Views from the Tallest Skyscrapers on the Philadelphia Skyline

8:00 am on January 6, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

High-rise development offer numerous advantages, including efficient use of valuable urban real estate, environmental benefits through resource use economies of scale and conservation of land, and dense, transit-friendly and pedestrian-favorable environments that create thriving cities. Then, of course, there are the lofty views that are available to dwellers of sky-high aeries. Using the formula of D = 1.22459 x Sqrt (H + 5.58), where D equals distance and H stands for the height of the building’s highest floor and 5.58 represents 5′-7″, the height of the average US adult in feet, we can calculate the longest unobstructed view distances on a clear day from any building level. Today YIMBY offers a comparison of views and view distances from the highest floors of some of the tallest buildings on the Philadelphia skyline.

One Liberty Place. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking at the Philadelphia Skyline from the Observatory Atop One Liberty Place

7:30 am on January 5, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia is home to several tall skyscrapers in Center City, with One Liberty Place among the most iconic in the group. The steel-framed tower rises at 1650 Market Street to a height of 945 feet and 61 stories above the ground. The skyscraper was designed by Helmut Jahn, who has unfortunately passed in May of last year, as part of the Liberty Place project developed by Rouse and Associates. At the moment, only two observatories operate in the city, as one has closed last year. Today we look at views from theh currently closed One Liberty Observation Deck, located on the 57th floor in the skyscraper’s gabled crown.

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