History

2709-15 Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. March 2022

Demolition Underway at Historic Columbia Theater in Cecil B. Moore, North Philadelphia

7:30 am on March 25, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

A recent site visit by Philly YIMBY has revealed that demolition has begun at the historic Columbia Theater at 2709 Cecil B. Moore Avenue in Cecil B. Moore, North Philadelphia. The 100-year-plus-old structure, situated at the north side of the block between North 27th and Marston streets, will be replaced by a four-story, 18-unit apartment building. Designed by Kore Design Architecture (KCA), the new development will span 21,030 square feet and feature elevator service, full sprinkling and a roof deck. Permits list Bloomtown Holdings LLC as the owner, GRIT Construction as the contractor, and a construction cost of $3.16 million. The Columbia Theatre, as it was originally known, was built in 1911 in a grand Beaux-Arts style. The massive, dramatic marquee and vertical sign that once adorned its front entrance are long gone. Still present, however, is the symmetrical facade with Palladian and oeil-de-boeuf windows, a garland-adorned crown, and a dentil course cornice. Even the elegant bishop’s crook light sconces continue to grace the structure at the second level. The roughly 30-foot-tall building is at once in scale with the avenue’s rowhouses and offers a distinct sense of urbane grandeur.

One Liberty Place looking northeast. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back to the Moment When One Liberty Place Passed the Statue of William Penn Atop Philadelphia City Hall

7:30 am on January 10, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

For nearly 35 years, the Philadelphia skyline has been dominated by skyscrapers rising well above 500 feet in height. The idea to breach of the height limit informally established by the 548-foot-tall pinnacle of City Hall, also known as the “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” surfaced in 1984. The first tower to rise above the limit was One Liberty Place, a daring structure for the time that rises 945 feet and 61 stories above ground at 1650 Market Street in Center City. The project was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Rouse and Associates (which eventually became Liberty Property Trust), and was completed in 1987. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY takes a look back at when One Liberty Place passed the statue of William Penn on top of City Hall.

222-30 Walnut Street. Credit: Cecil Baker + Partners Architects

Philadelphia YIMBY’s Annual Development Countdown Starts With 242-Foot-Tall, 18-Story Condo Tower Planned at 222-30 Walnut Street in Society Hill, Center City

8:00 am on December 1, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

As the calendar turns to December, Philadelphia YIMBY launches its annual December Development Countdown, which tracks the 31 tallest buildings under construction or proposed throughout the city. The inaugural 31st place goes to 222-30 Walnut Street in Society Hill, Center City, an adaptive reuse development that will integrate a proposed 242-foot-tall, 18-story condominium high-rise with a group of low-rise buildings constructed between 1856 and 1950. Designed by Cecil Baker + Partners Architects, the building will offer a combined total of 101,115 square feet of interior space, most of which will be dedicated to 18 residential condominiums. At the moment, the project appears at a standstill, which, in great part, results from its historically sensitive location in a historic district in one of the oldest sections of the city.

The Corinthian at 909 Corinthian Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller

Construction and Renovation Complete at The Corinthian and la Cour at 909 Corinthian Avenue in Fairmount, North Philadelphia

7:30 am on November 12, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Construction is now fully complete at a two-building rental complex situated at 909 Corinthian Avenue in Fairmount (alternately Francisville), North Philadelphia. Developed by MM Partners, the project consists of The Corinthian, a renovated five-story, 110-year-old building, and la Cour, a newly-constructed, three-story, 14-unit building next door. Designed by Marshall Sabitini and built by Tester Construction, la Cour now appears fully complete, while The Corinthian sports a new logo emblazoned across its facade.

Permits Issued for Renovations for Historic Poth Brewery Building at 3145 Jefferson Street in Brewerytown, North Philadelphia

8:00 am on October 1, 2021 By Tyler Massar

Permits have been issued for interior alterations at the historic Poth Brewery at 3145 Jefferson Street in Brewerytown, Read More

One Liberty Place before topping of the spire. Photo from the Philadelphia Inquirer

Philly YIMBY Revisits the Topping-Out of the Spire atop One Liberty Place in Center City

7:00 am on September 28, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

The Liberty Place development in Center City holds a pivotal place in the Philadelphia skyline, having made a gigantic impact on the and the city’s image and its profile as a business hub. A pointed spire tops the tallest tower, the 945-foot-tall One Liberty Place at 1650 Market Street, outfitted with broadcasting equipment. The complex was designed by Helmut Jahn of Murphy/Jahn and developed by Rouse and Associates. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY shares images of One Liberty Place from the day the spire had topped out.

Commerce Square from Spring Garden Street Bridge. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Looking Back at the Construction of One Commerce Square at 2005 Market Street in Center City

7:00 am on September 23, 2021 By Thomas Koloski

In 1984, the unwritten Gentleman’s Agreement that forbade building above the 548-foot-high statue of William Penn atop City Hall was about to be eliminated when, in April, developer Willard Rouse proposed a skyscraper development that eventually became Liberty Place. The proposal apparently influenced more developers and architects to build towers above the former height limit. The Commerce Square twin towers were revealed at 2005 Market Street in Center City at the end of the year. Designed by I.M. Pei and Partners and developed by IBM and Maguire/Thomas Partners, the 41-story towers were not built simultaneously, as One Commerce Square was the first building finished in the complex.

Northeast Northern Liberties. Credit: Post Brothers

Northeast Northern Liberties: an Emerging Waterfront Hub in Search of an Identity

8:00 am on September 18, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

The latest entry on Philadelphia YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown, which looks at the most frequently mentioned article categories over the course of the past year, found North Philadelphia‘s Northern Liberties neighborhood at the 18th place, out of the 1,800+ categories surveyed. Yesterday’s entry outlined at the neighborhood’s history and general composition. Today we look at Northeast Northern Liberties, a former industrial hotbed turned no-mans-land that is now rapidly transforming into a major urban hub, and some of the challenges that the emerging district still needs to address.

Piazza Terminal rendering looking northeast from Germantown Avenue. Image via Post Brothers

Northern Liberties Scores the 18th Place on Philly YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown

7:30 am on September 17, 2021 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

The Northern Liberties neighborhood in North Philadelphia finds itself at the 18th place on Philadelphia YIMBY’s First Anniversary Countdown, which looks at the most frequently mentioned article categories over the course of the past year. The district’s ranking within the Top 20 is hardly surprising, given its significant extent, central location, proximity to the waterfront, ample prewar built stock, and widely available development-ready land. These factors have fueled the area’s resurgence since the 1990s, and growth continues unabated in the district to this day, with plenty potential still to spare.

Unfinished Liberty Place design model. Photo from Helmut Jahn

Visualizing the Under-500-Foot-Tall Early Iterations of Liberty Place on the Skyline

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

The Liberty Place complex is emblematic of the Philadelphia skyline as they played a key role in Center City‘s skyscraper growth. The towers currently stand 61 and 58 stories tall, with angled sharp crowns pointing toward to the sky, one tower capped with a tall and another with a short spire. The project was commissioned by Willard G. Rouse III of Rouse and Associates, who had originally pictured a $150 million 38-story tower rising to a height that measured somewhere under 500 feet. Just days after New Year’s Day in 1984, the building was first discussed in a publication about how Rouse won the bid for the site how it may become the city’s premier office tower. The architect, Helmut Jahn, was selected in March, and had produced a rapid succession of concepts under 500 feet, which eventually evolving well above that height. Today we share exclusive massing concepts of how the skyline would have looked if the towers were built to their originally planned height.

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