Features

South to north: 2260, 2411, 2419, 2509 North 7th Street. Credit: Google Maps

Grandeur and Desolation: Four Minor Buildings in North Philadelphia East are Gradually Turning the Tide in a Long-Neglected Neighborhood

7:30 am on July 30, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

During the postwar period, Philadelphia has undergone a period of depopulation and saw numerous demolitions. Neighborhoods were affected to widely varying degrees, with some remaining largely intact and others losing blocks upon blocks of their housing stock. Thankfully, the trend has reversed back to growth during the past couple of decades. Today we look at how four relatively minor buildings approved at North 7th Street in North Philadelphia East will help turn the tide in a long-neglected neighborhood.

The Laurel Rittenhouse from Washington Square West. Photo by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Tours the 41st Floor at The Laurel Rittenhouse at 1911 Walnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City

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

Recently, Philadelphia YIMBY went on a tour of one of the highest condominium floors at The Laurel Rittenhouse, a 48-story residential tower under construction at 1911 Walnut Street in Rittenhouse Square, Center City. Designed by Solomon Cornwell Buenz and developed by Southern Land Company, the skyscraper is nearing its final height of 599 feet, and work is expected to begin soon on the cross-braced crown. The tower will house 185 rental units in the lower portion and 64 condos in the upper section.

Philadelphia skyline 1969. Photo and edit by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Presents Mockup Time Lapse of the Philadelphia Skyline from 1901 to 2020

8:00 am on July 11, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

YIMBY has presented extensive coverage on the development of the Philadelphia skyline over the decades. In its early years, church steeples, factory chimneys, and shot towers dominated the skyline, rising above numerous low-rise buildings. Office towers began to rise in the early twentieth century, as businesses flocked to Center City, and proliferated more rapidly in the following decades, particularly in the past 40 years. Today we present an animated rendering of the skyline, showing how the mass of skyscrapers had risen from 1901 to 2020. Each frame shows the towers under their current construction status for the year depicted.

Philadelphia 1905 and 2020 south elevation. Photo by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Presents a Massing Animation of the Philadelphia Skyline from 1905 to 2020

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

Over the past few months, YIMBY has published multiple features on how the Philadelphia skyline grew over the years via custom-made three dimensional projections. In the past decade, numerous buildings have risen around Center City and beyond. Most of these have been constructed near City Hall and along Market Street, close to the main skyline core. Today we present animations of how the city skyline grew in a 115-year time span from 1905 to 2020.

Philadelphia skyline 1905 looking southwest. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Massing Renderings of the 1905 Skyline

8:00 am on June 18, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In the early 1900s, construction has just finished at Philadelphia City Hall (completed in 1901), with the clock tower dominating Center City. The skyline was not yet filled with massive towers. Instead, low- and mid-rise buildings made up the urban landscape. At the time, the city was growing rapidly, and a new generation of notable buildings was completed by the turn of the 20th century, including City Hall and the Masonic Temple. Today Philly YIMBY presents massing renderings of the Philadelphia skyline as it appeared all the way back in 1905.

Arthaus topped out. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Tours Model Units at Arthaus at 311 South Broad Street in Center City

8:00 am on June 16, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

Recently, Philadelphia YIMBY toured a pair of completed model units at the 18th floor of Arthaus, a 542-foot, 47-story residential skyscraper under construction at 311 South Broad Street in Center City. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the tower will house 108 condominium units. The property is being was developed by Dranoff Properties, which also built and owns the Symphony House high-rise located across Broad Street to the southwest.

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center Parking Garage at 3800 Powelton Avenue. Credit: THA Consulting

Detailed Review of Campus Upgrades Proposed at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in University City, West Philadelphia

8:00 am on May 29, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Philly YIMBY recently posted a brief overview of a $60 million expansion proposed at the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center campus in University City, West Philadelphia. The main feature is an eight-story, 493,039-square-foot parking garage planned at 3800 Powelton Avenue. Designed and engineered by Pennoni and THA Consulting, the structure will roughly triple the amount of on-campus parking even while demolishing an existing four-story garage and reducing the total ground footprint used for parking. The project also involves the demolition of a seven-story treatment facility, as well as streetscape improvements and 6,460 square feet of new retail. Today we look at how the project shows that high-rise design benefits urban planning, no matter what function it takes, and why it may be a precursor to further development at the campus.

Philadelphia 1945 and 2020 south elevation. Model and image by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Compares Massing Renderings of the 1945 and the 2020 Skyline

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

In the mid-1940s, the Philadelphia skyline still maintained the general look it received during the construction boom of the 1920s and 1930, when several new towers added significant mass to the Center City skyline. The Philadelphia City Hall still topped the skyline at 548 feet tall, but by the 40s more high-rises were nearing the top of the clock tower, with several rising in the 300-foot range. A number of Art Deco buildings stood out, with predominantly light and dark brown shades. Today Philly YIMBY compares massing renderings of the 1945 skyline and the 2020 skyline.

Torresdale Manor Residences at 3600 Grant Avenue. Credit: Swimming World Magazine (left), Channel 6 ABC Action News (center left), Abitare Design Studio (right)

A Detailed Look at Torresdale Manor Residences Proposed at 3600 Grant Avenue in Torresdale, Northeast Philadelphia

8:00 am on May 26, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Philly YIMBY recently shared new site plans and renderings for Torresdale Manor Residences, a townhouse development planned at 3600 Grant Avenue in the Academy Gardens section of Torresdale, Northeast Philadelphia. Designed by Abitare Design Studio, the project will rise at the former site of a once-renown aquatic center, shuttered after a devastating 2017 fire. The proposal includes 30 single-family residences, a new roadway, and a nature trail along the adjacent Byberry Creek. Today we take an in-depth look at the development and the insight it offers into incorporation of positive, pedestrian-friendly elements into otherwise car-oriented master plans.

Twin Independence Blue Cross Towers. Photo and edit by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia YIMBY Presents Renderings of the Once-Proposed Twin Independence Blue Cross Towers

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

In February, Philly YIMBY published an examination of the Twin Independence Blue Cross Tower proposal that was planned in the mid-1980s. The Independence Blue Cross Tower were designed by WZMH Architects, who also designed the CN Tower in Toronto, Canda. The developer, The Linpro Company, intended to build two 45-story towers on the 1900 block of Market Street. Each would have stood 625 feet tall, located 1901 Market Street and 1919 Market Street in Center City. If built as a twin pair, they would have stood next to the 565-foot Commerce Square towers, another pair of twin high-rises.

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